New Origins
by Aquaformer
Summary: A new look at a possible origin for Megatron and Optimus. Warnings within. If you don't like, please don't read. I do not own transformers, I am merely having fun with the characters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers, I am just having fun with their world. Mostly written from G1. Slash and mpreg. If you don't like, please don't read. Some characters that appear will be my original characters.

In Iacon, there were many classes of bots. Most of the top level were Nobles, Prime, Princes, or Gladiators. The lowest level were the pleasure bots. Although a bot was able to move from one class to another, it was not easy in the least. Most bots remained in the class that they were sparked into.

Orion had been sparked into the pleasure bot class, as a sparkling from another pleasure bot who had accidentally gotten sparked one night while drunk on highgrade. Orion didn't remember his mother at all, as Orion had been abandoned on the at a very young age. He watched the bots around him, who happened to be pleasure bots and he learned form them.

He quickly learned how to pleasure both mech and femme bots using any orifice. He also knew how charm other bots so that he could earn his keep. Orion also learned that unlike those around him, he could ask for more than credits – he could ask for things he needed until the next bot came along. He grew into a very hot looking pleasure bot who was used often by upper class bots as Orion knew just how to pleasure any bot that came to him and he never forgot the likes of his loyal customers. IF he had not been sparked to the pleasure bot, Orion was intelligent enough to do almost anything and he was soft spoken as well.

However, this night, as Orion stood at his earned and special post, a new and nasty gladiator approached. Orion didn't like the look on the bot's faceplates, but a potential customer was a potential customer and was not to be turned down. Orion smiled his best and moved in the most sensual way, hoping to attract the mech, unaware the gladiator had come down here specifically for this bot, in hopes of using this bot in a very dirty way.

"Hey handsome" Orion said, adding just the right touch to lure the bot in, "Interested in anything you see?"

The gladiator, named Hellion, grinned evilly. "Perhaps" he said in a grovelly voice, feeling up the pleasure bot.

Orion moaned softly, seeming to know this bot liked bots who were submissive. "What do you want, my big strong mech?" Orion asked, mewling at the touches, even though they were rough.

"Oh…I'm gonna frag you senseless and you are going to let me" The bot said, sounding somewhat evil.

"You gonna give me energon in return, baby?" Orion asked, needing energy.

"Oh…you'll get energon….and something else…now SPREAD "EM" The gladiator demanded. Orion did as asked, as a deal was a deal, even if it meant being treated like this. Hellion rode the pleasure bot like there was no tomorrow and then did the last thing Orion would have wanted … a forced spark merging. No, the pair would not bond, but Orion would be carrying sparklings for the brute, though Orion didn't know that at the time.

After the merge and Hellion had overloaded, Hellion backed off before throwing the smallest possible container of regular energon to the pleasure bot. Hellion laughed as he walked away. Orion waited to pick up the payment until the bot was gone. This had been a painful experience, but Orion knew this was his lot in life. HE hurried home, hoping that the regular energon would be enough to keep him until his next customer.

Night after night, Orion went out to serve as a pleasure bot. He wasn't the best for no reason. He was the best because he earned it. Many others were jealous of him, but they had learned the hard way to steer clear of him, as many upper-class bots would severely punish pleasure bots who harmed Orion.

Weeks later, Orion wasn't feeling so good. He brought a few credits that he had earned and his talents and hoped that the medic would check him out. The old medic was a kind bot, but the younger of the two medic bots could be kind but could also be a hard ass. Orion could only hope he got the older medic.

Orion's luck didn't hold out, and he got the young medic, a bot named Ratchet or something like that, who was being trained by the older medic. "Please, sir, I only have a few credits and my talents. I…I hope you will see me and find out why I am so sick" Orion said, unaware Ratchet wasn't always a hard ass on bots like the pleasure bot.

"What are your symptoms?" Ratchet asked, his voice a bit sharp. Orion told the medic hesitantly, fearful that the medic would throw a wrench at the bot. Ratchet slightly groaned before scanning the mech. "You are sparked…. with Twins" Ratchet said. Orion passed out, as that was not the news he expected. He had hoped that the spark merge had failed, but it was not to be. Plus, both Ratchet and Orion knew it was extremely rare for a pleasure bot to carry more than one sparkling at a time. This made things all the more precarious.

When Orion came back around, he found the young medic hanging a drip to the pleasure bot and something else. "What…what is that?"

"I am scanning you for viruses and I am giving you much needed energon"

"But…But" Orion tried to say

"But nothing…dad wouldn't let me allow you to go without doing this" ratchet said, indicating the older mech was Ratchet's father.

"I have nothing to offer…except pleasure"

"No…. this is on the house" Ratchet said. And once the program and drip were done, Orion was discharged from the only med bay that pleasure bots actually were treated at, as many other med bays turned pleasure bots awy. He ran quickly away; fearful the generosity would be revoked.

Back at his small homelike area, Orion finally sat down and processed things. He was a pleasure bot and his was now carrying, which he knew was dangerous. He had seen many sparked pleasure bots slaughtered. Orion could only pray that Primus would spare both Orion and his little ones. Little did that if he lived to spark them, the gladiator would return and try to steal them.


	2. Chapter 2

(see previous disclaimers)

Orion continues his work, as he had no choice. It was the only way he was allowed to earn a living and a meager one at that. Orion did have one positive thing about this whole being sparked thing – it made him super horny and so he was able to work more than usual, though he kept it realistic as he didn't want to lose the little ones.

Orion didn't realize it at first, but Primus, having special plans for the twins Orion carried, had made Orion's clients a little more generous than usual, which really helped the young pleasure bot. He used what he needed and saved away what he could.

The only part that Orion hated was that every now and then, Hellion would return to "check in" on things and use Orion in a rough manner. Primus protected the little ones inside Orion, but Orion still suffered as the gladiator used him.

But this day, Orion met a new bot from a class he had never serviced before – a Tower bot. Orion knew of Tower bots, they were the tier just below the Prime/Gladiator level. And while they weren't as well weaponized as the top level, they were highly skilled and could be deadly if under estimated. This new bot was a bit shy.

"Hey stud, can I help you?" Orion asked in his most "come hither" manner. He was working had to catch this bot

"I..I don't know" the cautious bot replied.

Orion was careful with this new bot, not wanting to scare him off. "Name is Orion, but you can call me anything you want, stud."

The nervous bot looked at the young pleasure bot. "You? You are Orion?" Onyx asked.

"The one and only…"

Onyx was nervous, knowing if his femme sparkmate found him down here, it would be lights out. "Wow."

Orion smiled. "So what does a big strong mech like you want?"

"I…I….want…a blow job: Onyx finally got out, as he knew his spike so rarely saw action and he rarely got any pleasure due to his sadistic mate.

Orion smiled. "Give me a small bit of energon, and I will blow your mind" Orion said.

Onyx agreed to the deal and handed over a large portion of energon, which surprised Orion but the bot said nothing. Once Orion got the payment, he went to work pleasuring the bot, taking Onyx places that the bot had almost never been before.

After the service, Onyx was grateful and left one more thing. "My sparklings are too old for this and my sparkmate was going to throw it away. Maybe you could find someone who could use this" Onyx said and handed over a sparkling berth.

Orion was shocked at first, but graciously accepted the gift and promised it would go to a needy home. Onyx walked off and took the treasure home knowing he would need it. Primus was truly blessing the pleasure bot.

Many months down the road. Orion had gotten so big that he was close to sparking. Hellion came more often now, and that bothered Orion. Hellion checked in almost every other day to see if the sparkling was to come forth.

And it just so happened, on one of the nights that Hellion was visiting, Orion started sparking. No medic was nearby at this point, but Hellion at least knew how to deliver a sparkling. Orion pushed and strained, he alone knowing that there were twins inside of him. Thankfully, Hellion had no clue and assumed that there would only be one.

Soon, the first sparkling emerged, an angry looking sparkling who hissed as he was sparked and was red and silver in color. Hellion smiled devilishly and soon took the brat away. Orion was left on his own. He now had no one to help him with the twin mech to be delivered, or so he thought.

An hour after the first twin was sparked, Orion felt the need to bear down again. He was as worried as he was excited. He knew he needed help but had no way of getting it. Little did he know, Primus had already arranged for help in the form of a medic- Ratchet.

Ratchet had been sent by his father to find the young bot and see if he was doing ok. Ratchet hated travelling through the slums, not because they were the slums but because he knew these bots deserved better. Ratchet soon found himself directed to Orion. He knew instantly that the bot was sparking. He went over to help.

Orion was stunned when he saw the young medic, but also grateful. "I…I already sparked one….but he was taken…" Orion got out between trying to push this sparkling out.

Ratchet didn't like hearing that, but didn't show it. "Let's concentrate on this one" Ratchet said and soon helped deliver a small sweet red and blue mech. The mechling was quiet and cried softly as his aft was swatted to make sure he was online. Orion looked to the medic, fearful the medic would steal this sparkling. After a thorough check, Ratchet handed the mechling to Orion. "Here is your son."

"My….my son?" Orion asked, hesitantly, still worried that the sweet mechling would be taken away.

"Yes. I don't believe in ripping sparklings away from parents unless the parents are hurting the sparklings intentionally. Besides, I think you will be a good mother."

Orion smiled and held his son close. "I will name you my little Orion Pax" Orion said and received a coo. Ratchet checked the mother over and left once satisfied. Orion soon headed to the place he called home, happy to have much of what he would need to care for his precious son.

Little Orion Pax looked up at his mother, big blue optics soft and innocent. Orion hated that his son would be required to live like Orion did, but Orion was determined to teach his son love and many other things, hoping that one day in the future, Orion Pax would have the chance Orion never seemed to get – the chance to leave this class of bot behind and be better off than Orion was. But for now, Orion held his son close and both drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Meanwhile, Hellion had taken home the sparkling he had stolen from Orion. The hissing little one seemed perfect, except Hellion didn't like the red color, as it screamed that this bot was soft, at least to Hellion, so he painted over the red areas with black. The sparkling squirmed a bit but Hellion soon got the job done. "Now for a name" Hellion said as he thought. Several names came to mind, but only one seemed perfect. "I think I will name you Maximus" Hellion said but the sparkling growled, seeming to not like the name that had been selected.

"Fine, fine, have it your way….I'll call you Megatron" Hellion said and the sparkling hissed with delight. Hellion smiled evilly and went to care for his precious son. Hallion hadn't told anyone, but he was sick of this peace and love. He hated the Prime, Sentinel Prime, and hoped to do away with the bot. Maybe this sparkling was his chance, hellion thought and so he worked hard to care for the little one. Hellion had no problem finding sitters when he needed to, though few bots were willing to watch the brat. Hellion had no idea that one day, this son would be the end of the gladiator.

Meanwhile, Orion took extra special care of the son he had been left, little Orion Pax. Orion shared love and taught the young one even as he worked. Orion didn't see any choice in the matter, and so whenever Orion worked, his little bot was nearby. Orion smiled to see that others seemed to like the little one and the little one seemed to draw in more customers so that both could survive. Orion secretly hated that he would have to teach his son about being a pleasure bot, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Orion worked the streets and earned his keep, at least for a pleasure bot. This night, an old regular returned, but with a friend. The Friend's name was Ironhide, though Orion didn't know that. All Orion could tell was that these two bots were in the weapon class, where the cared and took care of all the weaponry and while it wasn't as glamourous as the top tier or the tower bots, it was still held in hi regard, as it was just below a tower bot.

"Hey stud…"Orion started, talking just the way his regular liked. Ironhide didn't show it, but he was a bit put off. He had only come down here because he didn't believe that bots like these existed. He thought it was fake.

"Hey baby doll" the regular responded. "You know what I like and how I like it done"

"uh-huh baby… coming up as soon as I get paid" Orion said, rubbing up against the bot sensuously. Ironhide stepped back. This was too weird and strange. Orion noticed but focused on the regular. The regular paid his usual payment and Orion went to work. The regular overloaded in no time flat. Ironhide, who had watched the whole disgusting scene, was as amazed as he was disgusted. This wasn't right, but trying to convince anyone of that would be extremely difficult. For now, Hide would bite his tongue.

"Whose brat?" the regular asked about the sparkling sleeping on an old dirty blanket nearby, not realizing that made Orion a bit miffed about his sweet son being called a brat.

"He is my son" Orion said, with only a small amount of force, but it was enough to get the regular to behave and stop acting like an arrogant idiot.

"Well, with you teaching him all the ins and outs, he will someday be the best pleasure bot there is or ever was" the regular said. Orion said nothing and Ironhide sighed. The upper-class pair soon, left, though something still bothered Hide about this whole thing. And it wasn't the area, it was the bot in which they had gone there to meet. Hide secretly prayed that someday, Primus would help this poor soul and bring the bot to a better place, no one yet realizing that Primus had far better plans for the sparkling than anyone could imagine.


	4. Chapter 4

Several years went by and both Orion Pax and Megatron grew. Primus had destroyed the Twin bond between the two as he knew it was of no use to them.

Megatorn learned quickly as his father taught him about being a gladiator. Hellion was impressed. He taught Megatron all the ins and outs of fighting as well as how to kill. Megatron took to it with great delight. "you need more work, you are sloppy" Hellion yelled, as he didn't want Megatron to think his father soft.

"Shut up. I will get this" Megatron spat back, his voice just as grovelly as Hellions though much younger sounding.

"Don't you tell me to shut up, you worthless pile of scrap" Hellion said and beat Megatron. Megatron just took it as he knew he was not yet big enough to stand up for himself, but he would bide his time.

Meanwhile, unrelated to Orion or Megatron, Sentinel Prime had a strange feeling, as if he needed to save away information for the future. He knew of a secret cave that was where he had found the Matrix and learned of his chosen path, but he knew it needed to be updated and sealed. He didn't know it, but this was Primus doing this as Primus knew this would be needed. Sentinel Prime went by himself to the secret area. He had found it by accident millennia ago. It appeared that an ancient female Prime had saved it before the bots were almost wiped out in a sudden attack.

He went into the cave and found where he could add information as well as leave the Matrix. Sentinel knew by the fact that he felt he needed to leave the Matrix here that his time was running short. Sentinel did as he felt compelled and then sealed up the cave. "May whoever finds you next be the Prime that Primus has preselected" Sentinel said out loud to no one before leaving and heading back to his place. He knew his time was growing short. TI was just a mater of when and how would he go.

Meanwhile, in the slums, little Orion Pax was doing his best to help his mama. The little one was sweet and cute and so was able to lure in many customers. Orion was too young to actually perform as a pleasure bot, but that didn't mean he didn't try. He practiced some of his seductive moves on his mother's clients. Most were impressed, and a few tried to push it a bit further, though Orion stopped them. "Remember, baby, they have to be an advanced sparkling before they are acceptable" Orion would say. That was enough as no bot wanted to get caught hurting a sparkling, as even the sparkling of a pleasure bot was protected by law.

Orion Pax was fascinated by all the bots he met and he could really pour on the charm. Orion smiled, though he was still a little sad for two reasons – he missed his other son and Orion believed his son deserved better than this lot in life.

"Mama…mama" Pax called out.

"Yes, love, what is it?"

"can…can you teach me to dance the way you do?" Pax asked, love and sweetness in his precious blue optics.

"After mama services two more customers, we should have enough and then I can, ok my little one?" Orion said. Little Orion nodded. He understood that they needed things and the only way around here to get them was to sell one's body.

Three customers and 7 earned cubes of energon later, Orion took his son to the place they called home. IT wasn't much but it was all they knew. Orion smiled as he watched his son play. These moments were rare. Little Orion soon came running back to mommy. "Teach me…teach me." Orion did so and patiently taught his little one. Orion Pax learned fast and even added his own flare.

Orion smiled. "You're gonna be quite a bot someday my little one"

Little Orion Pax smiled before asking a question. "Mama…who is Primus?"

"he is our creator little one" Orion stated and went on to explain. Orion pax just listened as his mama spoke of the loving caring creator who watched over all them. Orion Pax was glad to here that they weren't alone in the world. Orion just smiled. "alright….energon and then bed as it is getting late." Orion didn't argue with his mama but drank his small portion before snuggling close to his mother. Orion put his arm lovingly and protectively around his remaining son. Both slept for several hours, happy to be close and share love even if their "home" was merely a dilapidated shack of scrap metal. These times meant so much to the little bot.

Meanwhile, having returned home, Sentinel found a surprise waiting for him. A posse led by Hellion and another small bot. They had broken into the Prime's special area as Hellion was high up in the gladiator world.

"And so we meet again" Hellion said.

"Yes, and once again my answer is no" Sentinel replied, now seeing why he had been called to that other place.

"That is the wrong answer!" Hellion yelled and before Sentinel could move again, Hellion and Megatron put a sharp metallic spike through Sentinel's spark, in hopes of not only killing the bot but damaging the Matrix so no Prime could ever come again.

Sentinel smiled, confusing Hellion. "You will never win, for even with my death, the Prime will live on" Sentinel stated before breathing his last.

Hellion growled at that. He wanted to make sure everything was destroyed. When Sentinel's body opened to release the spark to the afterlife, Hellion was pissed when he realized the Matrix of Leadership a Prime always carries was not there. Megatron, seeing his father so upset, was upset as well. As this meant failure. His father was a failure and Megatron vowed to himself that once he was old enough and big enough Hellion would pay for being a failure.


	5. Chapter 5

Several more year went by and Iacon was in chaos, as it had been ever since Sentinel had been found slaughtered and no one knew where the Matrix of leadership was. The class system was now rigid and no one moved up and those who moved down were those who had been punished.

Attacks on the citadel were a frequent occurrence and civilian bots were starting to turn up as caustlies. Nobles and peaceful gladiators tried to keep peace, but it failed as those who followed Hellion and Megatron were causing a huge ruckus and all manner of chaos.

Then came the day the towers were attacked and while many were lost, a few survived. Among the survivors was a young adult named Prowl and two twin advanced younglings Mirage and Illusion. Prowl was good, as he was an adult and could find a new place elsewhere. The younglings, however, were chased out into the slums.

The pleasure bots whose world was only mildly affected by the violence, saw the pair. Most pleasure bots tried to lure the young ones in, but Orion sensed something. "Come with me" he said calling them sounding like a worried parent, not a pleasure bot. Orion had left his young son on another corner to work. "Please, come with me and no harm will come to you."

The young bots were stunned. They had never been here and felt totally out of place. Orion sensed it and herded the two towards the area where he lived. HE didn't know it yet, but these two were the twin sparklings that the bot Onyx had mentioned when he long ago said his sons were too big for the crib berth any more. Mirage and Illusion allowed themselves to be pushed along, as when their creators were still alive, both had beaten these two badly.

Orion retuned home at the same time his young son, now an advanced sparkling returned. "Mama…mama, I brought…" Orion Pax said before stopping cold at the sight of the twon tower bots being taken care of by his mother.

"Orion, dear, bring me some energon. These two need our help" Orion said sweetly.

"yes, mama" the young bot said and did what he was told. HE quickly brought the energon over.

"Now you two. I know this isn't the type of energon you are used to, but you need to eat up" Orion said. Little Orion Pax just watched, amazed as his mama had compassion on the two. "Now son, it is always important to take care of those who need help, and not just in the pleasurable way. These two were lost. They don't belong here but something must have driven them down here"

Orion Pax watched and listened, learning about helping others who needed help and about compassion. He was amazed that such bots would allow the help. The older mech soon finished helping the twins.

"Now what brings you to our area?" Orion asked patiently.

"Our…our homes are destroyed. The towers were blown up by rogue bots. Ever since Sentinel died, the city has been in turmoil. We ran because we were being pursued as the nasty bots wanted us for our talents. For we are no ordinary tower bots – we have the power of illusions. It is a very rare trait and we were not about to go rogue ourselves." Orion listened and had his son help tend to the wounds.

"we aren't medics or anything fancy, but you can stay here" Orion said, thinking a little about the Prime being no more.

"Thank you, sir. We have nowhere else to go."

And so the twins stayed, and while they couldn't bring themselves to be pleasure bots, they did something else to help pay for the kindness shown to them – they taught both Orion and Orion Pax how to fight and use weapons if necessary. Orion stored all the lessons deep in his processor, unaware that when he grew up, these would be the skills he would need to have.

Meanwhile, in another area of the city, a bot who had lost his family to raiders drifted in. The only possession the bot really had was his son Wingspan who was a sparkling and a few old music tunes. The bot had been raped by seekers during the raid and had ended up sparked. But now as Jazz headed towards Iacon, he feared he was just going to another area that was just as devastated as the area he left. He hoped he could find some sort of shelter here, as he had left the slums of the city of Ergon to hopefully find better luck here.

Meanwhile, away from any prying optics, the secret cave was keeping the Matrix safe. IT would sit there until Primus chose the next Prime to come forth and take over. Primus knew the bot he had selected was not yet ready and so in the lonely cave, the Matrix sat. IT was still in pristine condition and held all the wisdom that had been gained since Primus created it. The bot would soon be ready.

Back in the city, Megatron was getting frustrated, as his father wasn't being as ruthless and Megatron thought he should be. Megatron began plotting and scheming, trying to figure out a time to get Hellion alone, one on one. Hellion barely recognized his son. As far as Hellion was concerned, Megatron was just another soldier, albeit a young one, to order around. Megatron was sick of it and sick of failing. And so one dark night, when Hellion had no choice but to recharge, Megatron made his move and ended up stabbing his sire straight through the spark. Hellion never knew what hit him. He died instantly. "Farewell, you coward. I shall now command the forces and there will be hell to pay for those who fail me" Megatron stated and he headed out to begin commanding the bunch. He decided to call his men Decepticons, and they would be the most ruthless fighters of all.


	6. Chapter 6

Several more years passed and the chaos grew worse. Gone were the definitions of class. Every bot was merely trying to survive the devastation since there was no Prime and Megatron was running wild, as an advanced youngling, he had already caused far more destruction than anyone could have foreseen. He left broken bots and chaos in his wake and no one was really safe from his temper.

Meanwhile, in the slums, Illusion and Mirage were now young adults. They ended up staying with Jazz and wingspan who had managed to find a spot to stay in the slum. The pair decided to call Jazz mom since Jazz treated them well and both loved Jazz and little wingspan. Orion Paz was a constant visitor when he wasn't working. Mirage didn't say anything, as little Orion was not ready yet, but Mirage began to find himself falling for the young bot. There were even times when Illusion would take Wingspan elsewhere just so Orion and Mirage could talk.

Primus was on the move and he knew the bot he had selected would now be considered ready. And so, one night after work and the small Orion Pax snuggled up next to his mother, a dream came ot the young bot.

"My son….my son" called the deep booming yet loving voice.

"Who…Who are you?" Little orion asked in his dreams.

"I am Primus and I have plans for you, my son" Primsu said warmly. Little Orion felt nothing but good things and love from the voice.

"You do?"

"Yes, tomorrow when you wake up, you will feel like you are being led somewhere. I ask you to follow that urge" Primus said, radiating warmth and love.

"Are you sure?"

"Trust me, my son" Primus said and then vanished. The young bot slept on, hoping come the next day, the truth would be revealed.

The next morning, Orion Pax felt a strong stirring in his spark and a desire to follow it. He looked ot his mother and told the older Orion what he was feeling. "Son, I think you need to follow that urge. I can work today. You go forth and seek your answer" Orion lovingly encouraged his son.

"Ok, mama. I'll try to be back as soon as I can" Orion Pax said, kissing his mother on the check before he scurried off. The older Orion was worried but trusted that Primus would protect the young one.

Orion Pax made his way out to a long forgotten and strange area. AN area that seemed no one ever visited as no one knew about it. Orion looked around, wondering why he had been led to such a strange place. He trusted Primus, though, and that pushed him onward.

After several more hours of walking, Orion finally ran into a strange rock formation. IT didn't look natural but upon touching a part of it, it felt natural. Optimus rubbed the rocky looking wall a little bit longer and over a wider area. Suddenly, as he was rubbing the rock, a secret door revealed itself and opened, allowing the young bot inside. Orion had no idea what he was in for, but his spark was leading him inside.

Once inside, Orion Pax noticed all kinds of advanced computer technology and other things that he had never seen before in his life. They were the type of things he would never even earn as a pleasure bot as these were usually reserved for the very most upper class bots. Still, since he had found it, he figured it couldn't hurt to see what kind of information the strange technology held.

But before he could touch the computer like technology, a strange piece of metal caught his eye. It was shiny and looked expensive. HE had no idea it was the "lost" Matrix of Leadership. All Orion knew was that it would be worth a lot of credits and help feed those who were down in the slums. Slowly, Orion reached out to touch the pretty object.

When he finally stroked it, the shiny piece seemed to come alive and light up. Orion was a little scared, but he stayed put as his spark told him to. The metallic piece seemed to move on its own and it headed right for the small bot's chest. The matrix recognized this bot and knew what it needed to do. And the matrix was programmed to alter the bot so that he or she would be recognized as a Prime.

The closer it got, the more Orion tried to back away, but he found the strange door that he had entered through was somehow no longer visible. The Matrix approached the young bot and with a touch, opened the young bot's chest plating and spark chamber. Now Orion was really worried, as the metal moved in closer to unite with the young bot's spark. Soon, both were connected.

Orion was getting overwhelmed; all the new information being poured into his systems and memory banks and growing and becoming larger and more regal was starting to wear him out. Soon Little Orion was out cold, his body and programming changing, and while he would never forget his roots, he would know how to ac around all bots and be the Prime. Though, in private he could still be the sweet little Orion who loved to please.

After several hours, Orion Pax woke. _No_ he suddenly thought _Not Orion – Optimus Prime_. The large bot soon got up off the floor with a groan. He wasn't used to the larger body yet, but he now knew he needed to access the special technology so that he would be able to be Prime. He went and filled his now expanded memory banks with all the knowledge he could.

Back in the slums, Orion worried. HE sensed a change and wasn't sure if it was good or bad. He just hoped his sweet little son was okay and that no harm was being done. "Primus please" Orion prayed, "bring my sweet little boy back to me safely." Little did Orion know that when his sweet "little" son came back, he wouldn't look so "little" anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

After several more hours of downloading information, Optimus finally was able to leave the secret cave, knowing full well it had to remain a secret at all costs. He moved slowly and carefully, his much larger body still new to him though it seemed to suit him well. He was still red and blue but instead of a small car, he was now big enough to be a semi and then some. He left the area and headed for home.

Meanwhile, in the city, Megatron felt a disturbance, as if a new bot had been named Prime. Megatron was livid as some stupid bot had found the Matrix before him. Megatron went out and blew up some more cities, anger driving him. He was hoping to find the bot who had obtained the Matrix, but for now,Primus was shielding Optimus and so Megatron continued his destruction without seeing the new Prime.

Arriving in the slums well after dark, Optimus watched as his fellow pleasure bots failed to recognize him as Orion and began to try luring him in. He was too smart to fall for any of it as he knew all their tricks by heart. He drove on, looking for his mama. The others were miffed as they realized this "high class" bot was just like many others and headed for Orion.

Orion was at hime talking to Mirage, hoping his son would come home soon. "I have faith that Primus will bring him back to you" Mirage said, trying to comfort Orion.

"I trust Primus, it is just that he and I have never been apart so long and it worries me. The closest time before he was gone an hour and then I had to save him as some other pleasure bots were trying to harm him" Orion said, not mentioning the fact that Optimus had had a twin that had been stolen the moment the older one was sparked.

Soon, there was a noise at the door, a loud "ouch" could be heard, as Optimus was too big to fit in the small shack at least if he was standing at his full height. Orion raced to the door, unsure of what or who he might find. Orion stopped short when he saw the large red and blue bot standing in the door way, rubbing his helm.

"I'..I'm sorry sir, I am off duty now" Orion said, figuring this bot wanted a piece of aft, as that was what most high class bots wanted.

"No…no I am not here for that" Optimus found himself speaking regally. It bothered him greatly. "I am looking for you… mama" Optimus said, forcing the mama out to sound more like Orion Pax saying it.

Orion was stunned. He recognized that voice. "O…Orion Pax? My little one?" Orion asked, tears in his optics, though tears of joy or sadness he didn't know. He was happy to see his son, but his son didn't loo much like his son anymore.

"Yes…mama, it is I" Optimus tried sounding more like his old self. It was difficult at times, but he tried.

Mirage, who had followed Orion to the door was stunned. "Hey there, big guy" Mirage said, failing to address the Prime properly but no one cared at the time. It didn't take mirage long to recognize Orion Pax even with the change. No one else had the coloration that Orion, now Optimus, did.

Glad he didn't pass out in shock, Orion invited his son inside. "Where did you go?"

"I cannot tell you, mama, but what I can tell you is that I was selected by Primus to be the next Prime" Optimus said, smile on his face, as he knew this would give him a chance to fix the broken system and help unite bots from all walks of life. Orion accepted that. Orion then went off and left the two, as the older bot had a feeling about Mirage and his son.

"I have to work now, my little one. You and Mirage can talk" the older bot said and soon left.

Mirage blushed, a bit tongue-tied. He had felt his spark long for little Orion Pax and now Optimus. But he wasn't sure the bot felt the same.

Having been changed into an adult by the Matrix, Optimus soon picked up on the feelings radiating off the other bot. "Does your spark react around me?" Optimus asked, some of that sweet innocence of Orion Pax coming forth.

"It…It does. It has since you first turned into a youngling. I…I wanted to talk to you, but you were either too young or too focused on helping your mother, which I understand. I know he needs help to get out of this life style. And now you have that chance" Mirage said, his spark skipping jolts left and right, unaware that with the Matrix, Optimus could feel them not only coming from Mirage but also from his own spark.

"I… I don't know much about spark bonds" Optimus said sweetly with a soft innocent smile, "but if you are willing, we can unite our sparks."

Mirage smiled and went up to the big shy bot. "I trust you and would love nothing more than to bond to you. I don't know much about spark bonds either, but we could learn together" Mirage said, softly stroking Optimus' faceplate. This felt so different. Orion/Optimus was so used to giving other bots pleasure, that to start receiving it now was wonderful and strange at the same time. "I know you are not virgin metal, and that doesn't matter to me. I still love you."

Optimus smiled. This was the first bot ever outside of his mother who had loved him. "I hope I don't disappoint you" Optimus squeaked softly as Mirage began the session.

"You don't, my love, now let's go to berth and I will show you how two lovers can be equal and give mutual pleasure" Mirage said, leading the bot towards the back of the shack. Optimus willingly followed. Mirage helped Optimus to lay down on the blanket that was on the floor. Then and only then did Mirage begin to pleasure his soon to be mate. Optimus was stunned as he felt all the soft touches and the pleasure running through his own body. Soon, as the pleasure hit its peak, both Mirage and Optimus released their sparks, uniting both and sparking the former tower bot, who had no idea he would be able to carry. Both fell deep into recharge wrapped in one another's arms after the session.

When Orion came home, he found the beautiful sight. HE smiled as he covered the sleeping pair with a blanket. Orion had figured the two would end up together, though he wasn't sure why he figured that. BUT with all at peace for now, Orion crawled into his own blanket and fell into recharge, hoping that his son now being Prime would change things for the better.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Optimus woke with a start. He was snuggled up next to someone, but it wasn't his mama. But as he came around, he realized that this sweet mech was now his mate. Optimus felt stronger now that he had such a wonderful mate by his side. "Morning, beloved" Mirage said as he woke, slowly stretching.

"Morning to you, too. Did you rest well?" Optimus asked, knowing Mirage wasn't as used to sleeping on the ground.

"I did. Remember, it has been years since I really slept in a berth" Mirage reminded him. Optimus kissed his mate softly. "You know, you are going to have to learn to be tough and make good decisions when everyone realizes you are now the Prime."

"I now know that" Optimus said, thinking back to all the information that had been implanted into his memory when he found the Matrix of leadership.

"Just remember, you can always be little Orion Pax to me when we are in private" Mirage said reassuringly.

"Thanks" Optimus said and he prepared to head out. IT was now light outside and his build would give him away as the new Prime.

Orion woke as well, feeling like this morning was going to be different. He prepared to work, but he had a feeling that with Optimus around now and Megatron becoming a greater threat, things would change drastically.

Optimus went out. "Please hear my, my fellow bots. I call on all of you as we need to work together to save our race. Right now, we have a bot out there destroying cities and killing innocents. I ask if you will stand with me as we fight for our freedom" Optimus said to all who were present.

Most bots were shocked, as very few bots or Primes came to this area to ask for help. "What can we do, sir? WE are mere pleasure bots and rejects? How can we help?" they asked.

"We are all the same whether pleasure bot or prime or tower bot or anything else, and we can work together for a common goal" Optimus said, still a bit nervous but it didn't show, thanks to his battle mask.

Mirage soon joined his mate, and that helped many as Mirage, though sparked a tower bot, had gotten to know many of those who loved here and helped them as best he could. "Right now, we are bots trying to survive. We must become more if we all are to survive" Mirage stated.

"We will join you, but who will train us to fight or do anything else besides being a pleasure bot?" many asked, as few had ever done anything else other than being pleasure bots and all were anxious.

And out from the shadows stepped a bot many didn't recognize. "I will train you all" Ironhide said, having hidden amongst the bots so that he would not be slaughtered. Mirage soon recognized the weapons specialist thanks to his voice.

"And I will check you all over" Ratchet stated, coming forth with his friend Hide. "We will join you as well Prime. You need a medic as well as a weapons specialist. Ironhide is a weapons specialist and my father trained me to be a medic. We would gladly serve under you if you will take us." Ratchet said, he alone being the only bot outside of family that recognized Optimus as Orion Pax.

Optimus nodded. "Right now we don't have a base to go to or any other area to safely train."

"We could use the secret underground tunnels under the Prime's castle in Iacon" Ratchet stated, having been there several times with his now deceased father. "IT will protect us until we can retake Cybertron from Megatron and his Decepticons."

"Then let's do it" Optimus said, authority in his voice. Orion and Mirage smiled. Illusion stood not too far from his brother, happy to hear that things were soon hopefully going to change. Illusion agreed to help train others as well.

"But… But Prime, sir, some of us do not wish to fight… or be involved" some of the smaller bots said, worried that they would be forced to do something against their will, much like Megatron forced on the bots who followed him. Word had floated down to even here all the nasty things Megatron did to bots who failed him and it sent a shiver down every bot's spinal strut.

"No one who chooses not to fight will be forced to fight. You can come with us and be protected Autobots" Optimus said, unaware of the legend behind the name. He had chosen it because he thought it would be a good thing to call his troops.

Ironhide smiled. "Good name. It has always stood for those who want peace for all throughout Cybertron and beyond. We can call ourselves Autobots, as their legendary mission is much the same as ours is now."

Mirage smiled as Orion came forth to address the Prime. Orion was well respected and many bots down here followed Orion's lead. "Where you go, we go, sir" Orion said, knowing not to tell anyone that this really was his son who had been chosen. Orion knew Optimus needed to maintain his authority in front of all these other bots. It was then that many others decided to join in.

"Then let's head out to find our new base" Optimus said, guiding the bunch of bots with Ratchet's help. Along the way they picked up many bots – Prowl, Jazz and Wingspan, Hound, and Smokescreen just to name a few.

Meanwhile, Megatron continued on his path of destruction, hoping to seek out and destroy the blasted bot who had taken up the Matrix of leadership. Megatron knew that the only bot who could completely destroy the evil egomaniac was a Prime. And so Megatron hoped that he could annihilate the Prime before the Prime annihilated Megatron. It was only a matter of time before the two would finally meet and square off.


	9. Chapter 9

Optimus led his new team to the secret tunnels under the Prime's castle. All were amazed of two things – one was seeing the Prime's secret chambers and such and the other was that this Prime seemed to welcome all bots, no matter what their status. It was a relief to most, though some were still grumpy about being near the pleasure bots all the time.

"This will now be our base" Optimus said as he looked over his team. He saw the ones who seemed a bit upset. "We are one. NO one is better than anyone else. WE were all made by Primus no matter what lot in life we got. We now fight for a common goal. I cannot and will not stand for arrogance from bots who think they are better than other bots."

That put many at ease and the grumpy ones realized that if they wished to stay, they needed to learn to work with the others. Ratchet and Ironhide smiled. This was exactly the type of Prime that Iacon needed. Sentinel hadn't been a bad one and his desiring peace and not war was a good idea, but he was of the mindset that only certain bots would be helpful, not all. This new Prime didn't care what "class" you had been in. All this new Prime wanted was everyone to help achieve peace and freedom, regardless of what life had dealt them.

"Prime, sir, you need to make designated areas" Ratchet and Hide explained as they entered.

"What type of room do you require for your med bay?" Optimus asked and Ratchet told him. Optimus studied the plans for the tunnels that only he had access to and found the perfect room. HE did the same thing for weapon storage. HE began transitioning each area into an area that they would need, including a rec room, training center, command post, and quarters for all to stay in. Each room was designated to a small group of bots who would help transform the room.

Former pleasure bots worked with former tower bots as well as others. Optimus smiled as he watched them work. He knew this was for the best. He secretly hoped his and Mirage's quarters would be finished soon, as he really wanted to be little Orion Pax again with his mate.

"Your Quarters are all finished sir" The older Orion said, still not addressing the Prime as his son. He didn't want Optimus to suffer because of him.

"Thank you, Orion. You have done well. I am going to go to my quarters with my mate. I would like you to speak with Ironhide" Optimus said, stunning his mother. What did the old weapons specialist want with the former pleasure bot was all Orion could think.

"Yes sir" Orion said and with that Optimus headed for his quarters.

"You wanted to speak with me, Ironhide, sir?" Orion asked, not realizing his question had already made Ironhide's old spark jolt.

"Uh….yeah…I guess" Hide said, feeling his spark about to leap out of his chest. Orion recognized this, as he had seen the same thing in Mirage when Mirage spoke to and about Optimus.

"I must tell you, I come with a lot of baggage" Oroin said, thinking of all that he had said and done as a pleasure bot. "But if you are willing to overlook it, I could give us a try."

Hide was shocked though he didn't show it. HE remembered seeing this bot so long ago, working hard to earn a living. "Come with me" Hide said and they headed off.

Meanwhile, Megatron was still searching and wreaking havoc everywhere he went. He destroyed cities, historic buildings, computers, anything that got in his way, and bots were no exception. HE felt many sparklings creatorless and left them to die on their own if they didn't suit his purpose, though occasionally he did take a few, such as a group of seekerlings. He knew seekers could be trained to be deadly and so he captured them, programming them to be mighty warriors for the con cause.

Megatron hated that a new Prime had been named, as it meant he was no longer top bot. His position of gladiator was slightly below the Prime and it infuriated Megatron. He flew over the who surface of Cybertron, looking for the very bot who he would destroy before the bot could destroy him. His rage was palpable since had yet to find his quarry.

Meanwhile, back at the Autobot base, deep in the Prime's quarters, Optimus was acting more like the sweet little Orion Pax and Mirage was encouraging it. "Come to me, my sweet" Mirage said, having felt slightly queasy but brushed it aside when he knew Optimus needed.

Optimus hurried over. "I'm here" he said sweetly snuggling up to his mate. "I..I want to bring you pleasure."

Mirage purred softly at hearing that. "Ok, baby doll" Mirage replied, giving Optimus the go ahead to do whatever. Optimus went at it with full gusto, being careful to not overdo it. Mirage enjoyed the pleasure that the new leader and former pleasure bot provided though Mirage did return the favor. After both overloaded, Optimus came back around.

"Thank you my sweet."

"You are welcome beloved" Mirage stated, starting once again to feel under the weather, but he figured it was just something he ate.

"Are you ok?" Optimus asked, worried about his mate suddenly.

"I'll be fine. Probably just a small virus" Mirage stated, thinking that that was all it was and not realizing it was his first sign of many to come, and the two curled up together wrapped in one another's arms with Optimus curling into his mate.

Elsewhere, Orion was trying to please Hide with pleasure, but Hide made sure it was mutual. Orion was stunned as this was the first time he had really ever felt pleasure. The two pleasured each other and as they interfaced, they created a spark bond between them. They both felt it was so right.

And as they came down from the interfacing high, Hide had one question "Do you have any surprises I need to know about?"

Orion bit his lip. "Well…. Optimus is really my son…Orion Pax" Orion finally fessed up.

Hide was stunned at first but then things made sense. "If he is your son, then he is my son too, now that we are bonded" Hide stated and Orion smiled. He had found a mate who not only loved him but also would love his son, regardless of their past.


	10. Chapter 10

Several weeks after the base was set up, Illusion was out and about gathering things that would be needed for the underground base. Illusion was happy for his brother and Optimus, happy for Orion and Hide and even happier for Jazz and Prowl even though he, Mirage, and Wingspan didn't know what Jazz saw in the stoic tactician. Illusion was willing to give Prowl a real chance to prove himself while Mirage was a little more skeptical. Wingspan was somewhere in the middle on it.

High in the sky, one of the seekerlings that Megatron had forced to grow up fast and become a dangerous and deadly warrior was flying overhead. His mission was simple – find and destroy the Prime and stop anyway who got in his way. This seekers name was Starscream, and thanks to a glitch in the programming, he was a bit defiant even as he tried to fulfill his given "mission."

Cybertron was now divided and civil war looked more and more like a reality and not just a possibility. And it was just Illusion's luck this day that he was spotted by the seeker. Illusion, never having seen a seeker before other than wingspan who was still small, was not quite sure what to expect from the bot, but when the bot started shooting at Illusion, Illusion ran and called for help. He hadn't bough much for weaponry as he didn't like to fight and wasn't crazy about carrying guns and such. HE tried using his illusionary powers to shield himself from fire.

"Illusion to base…. Illusion to base. I am under attack, repeat, under attack" Illusion commed over his comm.

Jazz and Mirage received the alert and informed Optimus. "Soldier, perform evasive maneuvers. We will come as soon as we can" Optimus stated. Mirage wanted to go, but Optimus forbid it. Mirage was not happy but he wasn't going to challenge his mate right now, as Marriage still wasn't feeling the best.

And so, while Optimus and several others headed out to help Illusion, who was now under the attack of not one seeker, but three, Mirage headed for the med bay.

"Ratchet, I am not feeling so well" Mirage said, now kind of glad he was told to remain though he would really have loved to help his twin.

"What symptoms are you having?" The old medic asked. Mirage explained. Ratchet didn't like the sound of it, but didn't show it. He brought out a scanner. Mirage had never seen a scanner like it before and was a little anxious. Ratchet scanned. He found what he suspected he would fine. "Congratulations, Mirage, you are sparked…. with twins" Ratchet said, and at that, Mirage passed out in shock.

Meanwhile, as Optimus and several others, including Jazz and Ironhide, headed out to help Illusion fight off the seekers, they were attacked as well by one of the seekers who had broken off from the other three.

"Target practice" Starscream said as he aimed his shots at the those coming to help their original quarry, unaware he was actually shooting at the Prime, the target of Megatron's rage and the bot Megatron wanted destroyed. Optimus didn't look like a typical Prime, thanks to the fact he had been selected from the pleasure bot group. Starscream, not caring, continued firing. It was his job.

Optimus fired back, his big weapons blasting at the seeker. The seeker was quick, but not quick enough, as the added firepower from the other Autobots soon chased off the cowardly seeker and his two other buddies.

"Illusion, are you hurt?" Optimus asked, once the three seekers were finally gone.

"Yes, sir, Optimus, I can't transform into my other mode – I think my transformation cog is damaged" Illusion stated.

"Hop in my trailer, Illusion and we will get you back to base" Optimus said and after Illusion climbed in, Optimus and the others headed back vis a hidden route to the underground base.

And while the others went back to their quarters, Optimus brought Illusion to the med bay, unaware that Optimus would be in for a surprise when they got there.

When Optimus walked into the med bay with Illusion, Mirage was just coming to. Optimus helped Illusion to a med bay berth and then rushed over to Mirage. "Love, what happened?" Optimus asked worriedly as Ratchet went to help Illusion.

"I….I…I sparked" Mirage said softly, hoping Optimus wouldn't be mad.

"Sparked?" Optimus asked, not quite sure about this.

"Yes…. I am carrying our twins" Mirage stated. He had known as a tower mech that if he was able to carry, he was set for twins, he just hadn't known he would be able to carry.

"I…I am going to be a father?" Optimus asked, joy in his optics, now that he understood. He had never had a father, but he was determined that whatever it was, he would strive to be the best.

"Yes, my beloved. And this was why I wasn't feeling so well. It is a side effect of being sparked" Mirage stated. Optimus retracted his mask and kissed his mate. This really was good news.

Meanwhile, having run away like cowards, Starscream made his report to his boss. He told of the encounter and the skirmish. He also told of the big red and blue bot that had come out to face the trine. "I am not sure, sir, but I believe he may have been the Prime" Starscream said in his screechy voice.

Megatron was as angry as he was happy to hear that the Prime had been seen. His minion had failed to execute the bot on sight, but now Megatron at least knew who and what he was looking for. "You failed me yet again, Starscream. I gave you an order and you couldn't even complete it. You know I don't tolerate failure."

"Please, lord Megatron, spare me. I will do better next time" Starscream screeched, hoping that Megatron didn't plan on destroying him on the spot.

Megatron scanned the seeker, to see if he was worth keeping. "You're lucky…I'm in mood that will allow you to continue to function today, but don't allow this to happen again. Next time, you won't be so lucky. Now get out of my sight, you pile of useless junk." Starscream ran off to his quarters with his brothers and trine mates. All three had been extremely nervous that they would be offlined. For now, they were glad that Megatron had chosen to spare them.


	11. Chapter 11

Optimus was happy about the news and after helping his mate out of the med bay and to their room, Optimus knew he had someone he needed to tell - his mother. He quietly walked towards his mother's quarters. He went for two reasons – he needed to tell his mother and he wanted his mother's advice on his mate being sparked, sparking and the sparklings to come.

Optimus soon arrived at the quarters and knocked on the door. Optimus was only mildly surprised when Ironhide answered the door. Not knowing his mother had already told hide the truth, Optimus remained professional. "Ironhide, is Orion here, I need to speak with him" Optimus said.

"Sure, he's here. Orion, Optimus is here to see you" Hide called towards the interior of the quarters. Hide was much like Orion in that both did not want to reveal Optimus' true past and possibly cause his leadership to suffer. "Come in, Prime" Ironhide said, wanting to know what this was all about and closing the door so that this would be private.

Orion soon came forth with a soft smile. "Hi, Optimus. Is there something I can help you with?"

Optimus looked to his mother. "My mate mirage is sparked, we just found out today" Optimus said, a slight battle wound on his arm obvious to Orion. Orion went up to touch it, and was glad when it felt superficial.

"Congratulations" Orion said, "by the way, I want to tell you something, my little one. Ironhide knows you are my son, that you are Orion Pax. Hide has told me that since you are my son, he will accept you as his son as well."

Optimus turned took look at his weapon's specialist with shock. "Yes, Prime. He told me after we bonded. And much like your mother, I plan to protect the secret of your past" Hide said.

Optimus smiled, before he tried talking like his old self to his mother. "Mama, part of the reason I came over was I wanted to tell you that we were expecting. The other reason is that I know nothing about sparked bots, taking care of sparked bots or sparklings. I was hoping for some advice."

Though he didn't show it, Hide was a bit stunned to hear that voice. He recognized it from the time he had spent hiding in the slums so that he would not be slaughtered by Megatron, before Optimus was named the new Prime.

"I can tell you what I know, my little one" Orion said softly and talked about all he knew. Optimus was surprised when Ironhide chipped in with advice as well.

"I've never had sparklings of my own, but I help raised some of my siblings and helped them with their little ones" Hide said reassuringly. Optimus was glad for all the advice.

"Anything else I should know?" Optimus asked after receiving advice for nearly three hours.

"Mirage probably won't tell ya, but when sparked, most bot's get very horny. He might need you to take your previous role that you had and share it with him in the bed room. Some bots are raised not to ask for help for their needs, so you will need to watch him and look for the signs. I know you know them since you are a former pleasure bot – you know the signs of a needy, horny bot. Just remember to be gentle" Orion said.

"And whatever you do, especially since these are his first, do not let him fight in any type of skirmish as he could lose them" Hide added.

"Thank you" Optimus said and before he left, he gave both a hug. "I've never had anyone besides mama growing up, but I have one question for you, Hide – will you be my father?"

"Yeah, son, I will" Hide said with a smile. Only then did Optimus head out. He was horny and could sense his mate was as well. So he headed there.

And after Optimus left, Orion and Hide had a conversation. "He is a good bot" Orion said. "Works hard and never complains"

"I know, and I know he will make an excellent Prime"

"I just fear that with Cybertron in chaos that I will lose him like…." Orion said stopping short.

"Like what?" Hide asked, curious.

Orion sighed, He was about to reveal something he had kept hidden for so long. "Hide, Optimus, or rather Orion was a twin…he was the younger of the two. His twin was stolen by a gladiator class bot named Hellion who had forced the twin sparking upon me. I don't know what happened to the sparkling but it makes me fear for Optimus."

Hide swallowed. He knew Hellion, oh he knew him. He remembered that Hellion had somehow acquired a son through some strange circumstances. Hide sighed. Things were just made more complicated as Hide realized that the Megatron that was out there creating chaos and destruction in his wake was the twin of the new Prime. Hide just hoped no one else ever figured it out. But he composed himself. "Let's not worry about that. And if you wish, we could try for sparklings."

Orion lit up at that. Now that there was a chance for a better future, he wanted more little ones. "Just keep in mind, as a pleasure bot, I likely will only carry one at a time if I can still spark. Twins are almost unheard of for a pleasure bot class bot to carry."

"Doesn't matter, I just want healthy sparklings and I know Optimus would most likely love to be a big brother" Hide said and they went off to try and create new life, unaware that Orion had sparked form their bonding session.

Meanwhile, before Optimus made it back to their quarters, Illusion had stopped in to see his twin. "I was in the med bay, I heard. Congrats bro" Illusion said.

"Thanks. I just hope this all turns out well" Mirage said, slightly anxious.

"Don't worry, you have a good mate and mom Jazz can help you out too" Illusion reminded his twin.

"Thanks for the reminder, Illusion. If you don't mind, I can sense Optimus is returning and I think we need some alone time" Mirage said with a soft smile.

"Alright, take care" Illusion said and as Illusion left, Optimus returned.

"Hey, beloved" Mirage said, not knowing if Optimus was here for a quick check or not.

"Hey baby doll" Optimus answered sounding like Orion Pax, clearly showing his intentions.

Mirage smiled. "I'm all yours, sweet thing" Mirage said and they soon went at it, falling asleep wrapped in one another's arms afterwards.


	12. Chapter 12

Several days later, Mirage was still not feeling that great and more and more bots were seeking shelter from the Autobots to seeking to fight with them. Optimus welcomed each and every bot, promising to train those who wanted to help in the effort and promising to protect those who sought shelter. The one thing that stunned Optimus was all the sparklings that were coming in without any creators.

"Prime, these all came from Obsidian, they were at the youth center after having been saved from the first wave of attacks by Megatron" Hide said, having gone on the mission with hound and jazz.

"I see. We need to find families for them" Optimus said, stunning a few bots, as they had figured the Prime would set up a new youth center in the base. "They need families. I will not allow sparklings to grow up without a family to love them." The others merely nodded.

Many of the sparklings were taken by pairs of bots or even single bots, until there was one last little yellow mechling left.

"He looks like a minibot, Prime" Hide stated and then explained as minibots were rare.

Optimus nodded. "He still needs a home."

"I think we can take him, Prime" Hide stated, "and I think we will call him Bumblebee."

Optimus smiled. "Thank you, and take good care of him."

"Don't worry, Prime, we will" Hide stated and headed off with his new little bundle of Joy. True, he hadn't talked to his mate yet, but he figured Orion would be ok with all of this.

Hide soon made it home. "Orion love, I have a new little one I'd like you to meet" Hide stated and soon revealed the little bot.

"Oh he's precious" Orion stated, his motherly instincts taking over. "He needs a good strong name."

"I thought we would call him bumblebee"

"Oh, that's perfect" Orion said, holding the little one in his arms. The little one snuggled close, seeming to like the new name and the warmth.

Meanwhile, now that all the little ones had homes, Optimus went home. He was horny and hoped his mate was ready for him.

Mirage was in the berth, not feeling well, though he wasn't quite sure why. He knew he was sparked but he had kept his energon down. He wasn't vomiting and he ate enough. He just didn't realize his was super moody because he had denied himself interfacing pleasure the last few nights, as he didn't think it was that important – it was more important that Optimus be a good leader.

Optimus soon walked into the quarters and headed back to the berth room. He was a bit stunned that Mirage was giving off such strong signals of needing it, but then Optimus remembered that Mirage had pushed Optimus to make decisions and be a good leader instead of spoiling Mirage.

"Love?" Optimus asked, startling Mirage.

"Yes?" Mirage said, slightly moody.

Optimus knew with that reply, words were out of the question and he immediately fell into his former role, teasing and spoiling Mirage. Mirage was a bit stunned, as this was not what he had expected. IT was needed but not expected. It didn't take Optimus long to bring Mirage to the point of feeling nothing but pleasure. Mirage tried to return the favor but Optimus would move. "This is…for you" Optimus said, stunning his mate. Mirage just enjoyed as they both overloaded, which caused Mirage to feel much better.

"Better, my sweet?" Optimus asked, snuggling close afterwards.

"Much, my beloved" Mirage said. Optimus curled in closer if that was possible. He knew he was loved and wanted.

Meanwhile, getting closer to Iacon once again, Megatron was scouring once again to find the elusive Prime or the Autobot base. "It must be near Iacon" Megatron thought to himself, "as nowhere else is as protected to guard the Prime." Megatron had no idea that he was getting closer and closer to meeting the new Prime.

The next day, Optimus raced from his quarters, leaving a sleeping Mirage behind. Blasts could be heard from up above.

"Jazz, what's our status?" Optimus asked.

"Decepticon attack. They have returned, searching Iacon for something, but I don't know what"

"Well, whatever they are looking for, they will not find. Autobots, we have enemy attack, Transform and roll out. We must protect the base to protect those here who seek shelter." The Autobots who felt called to battle soon left, with Optimus leading the way.

Megatron was in the middle of blasting something when he felt a blast sting his arm. It pissed him off royally. "Who dares fire on the mighty Megatron?" He growled.

"I do, you pompous Windbag" Optimus said, his build indicating who he really was.

"PRIME!" Megatron shouted angrily. The disgusting bot had snuck up on the Con leader.

"Yeah, Megatron. I am Optimus Prime. And you are going down" Optimus stated confidently, his battle computer ready thanks to the updates from the Matrix.

"You will not survive this fight" Megatron shouted as he raced towards the leader of the Autobots.

"Tough talk" Optimus said before firing from his "little friend." Megatron was injured from the blast but blasted back, injuring the Prime. Optimus trusted his team to help him stop the accursed Decepticons. But all was called off when a stray shot from a seeker bounced off the Prime and then hit Megatron. Megatron was forced to call a retreat.

Once the enemy was gone, Optimus felt his battle scars and fell to one knee. "Prime's hurt, get him to the med bay" Prowl ordered, having other bots help out. The Autobots took their leader to the med bay, hoping he wasn't too injured. Ratchet was on duty and was able to repair all the bots, including Prime who had asked to go last even though he was in the worst shape. All others went back to their quarters while Ratchet kept Optimus for a bit. Ratchet called Mirage to come.

Mirage came quickly. "Optimus, are you ok?" Mirage asked worriedly.

"Yes, love, I am" Optimus replied, "But I know this is only the start of it all."


	13. Chapter 13

After several more hours in the med bay, Ratchet finally decided to release Optimus to his mate's care. Mirage was worried and with good reason. They had sparklings coming and were spark bonded. He decided to focus all his attention on Optimus to help Optimus recover. Optimus wasn't used to all this attention in this manner and it bothered him a bit. Mirage felt that and finally backed off, feeling slightly rejected. Optimus sighed.

"Love, please…come back" Optimus said, sounding more like Orion in hopes it would bring Mirage back.

Mirage sighed and then turned around. "Yes, what did you need?" Mirage asked, still worried and hurt that Optimus hadn't told him about going out for batter.

"talk to me" Optimus said. HE wanted to hear what was bothering his mate so.

"You go off to battle, not even thinking about me or our sparklings, and you don't tell me and then you end up hurt. What am I supposed to think? I can't even fight because I am sparked" Mirage said, lowering his helm, feeling useless.

Optimus put a hand under his mate's chin and lifted the head. "As Prime, you know I have to keep the others safe. You have known that all this time, as you encouraged me to be a good leader" Optimus replied softly. "I can't keep you or our little ones safe if you stop me from being in the fights. Megatron is too strong for most of our troops to battle and destroy. I am the only one capable of destroying him. You must understand."

Mirage nodded. He knew, he understood. He didn't think Optimus did. "Optimus, Ratchet taught me about spark bonds when he was trying to find if I was sparked. He said when one bot goes the other usually follows. I know you are needed on the frontline, but you can't leave me in the dark about fighting."

It was only then that Optimus understood why this all bothered his mate. "I didn't realize that. I will try to be more careful, or at least tell you when I go to battle" Optimus said, much to Mirage's relief. Both curled into each other as they tried to rest before the next day.

Meanwhile, in Orion and Ironhide's quarters, Bee was sleeping. Both parents were standing in the door way, watching over him. "I can't believe that we were able to take in such a sweet little one" Orion said, all happy to be a mother of a sparkling again.

"Prime refused to make a new youth center. Told everyone that each sparkling was going to a family. This was the only little one left after the others picked their little ones to raise" Hide said.

"I am not surprised. Optimus saw many things in his youth. He saw what happened when sparklings didn't have families and I feel that it forever changed his feelings" Orion said, thinking of what he had seen as well. Hide just nodded, as he didn't need to hear what they had seen. HE was just glad all the sparklings had families.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the base, Illusion and Wingspan were goofing off a bit, as Wingspan was tired of being told "no" by Prowl all the time. Illusion liked his adoptive brother Wingspan, but it bothered Illusion that Wingspan was so annoyed with Prowl that Wingspan had runaway to where Illusion was, as Illusion was still single.

"He is so uptight" the young seeker said about Prowl. "I don't even understand what my mother sees in him."

"Patience, young seeker. In time, you will" Illusion said. Wingspan didn't like that answer, but there was no other answer to give.

"I wish Prowl would accept you two" Wingspan said.

"Wingspan, we cannot force Prowl to change or to like us. He has to come to term with himself. It does no good to do things that make him trust us less"

"You mean like running away?"

"Yes. I do. But since it is late, you may stay here" Illusion said, planning on coming Jazz as soon as Wingspan was asleep.

"Ok" and with that, Wingspan came into the quarters and went to sleep, as he was tired.

Once assured that Wingspan was ok, Illusion commed Jazz. "Illusion to Jazz…Illusion to Jazz…come in mama."

"Jazz here. Have you seen wingspan?" Jazz asked, worried about his young son.

"Yes, mama. He is here with me and he is safe."

"Why is he with you?"

"He ran off because …. of Prowl" Illusion stated, not wanting to say the whole reason.

Jazz sighed. "As long as wingspan's safe. Send him home when he is ready to come home."

"Will do. Illusion out." And with that, Illusion went to sleep as well. He had had a very long day.

Meanwhile, Jazz went to find Prowl, upset that the bot that Jazz had now bonded to had chased off the young seeker.

"Prowl…a word" Jazz stated in a not-so-happy tone.

"Yes, love?" Prowl replied, as they were in private.

"Did you do something to Wingspan this afternoon?"

"No. I never saw him. I was working" Prowl remarked, telling the honest truth. Jazz scanned his mate and sighed, as Prowl was telling the truth. "May I ask why?"

"He ran off….to Illusion's place. I know because Illusion commed me about it. Wingspan is safe but I cannot for the life of me figure out what caused him to run away."

"I don't know love" Prowl said, unaware his less than stellar acceptance of Mirage and Illusion as Jazz's son bothered the young seeker so much. "I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't."

Meanwhile, over on the con side of things, Megatron was pissed and stewing. He couldn't believe that his minions had failed to destroy the Prime. They needed to do better next time or some heads would roll. As he stewed, he tried to plan. He had to get back at Prime and destroy the bot. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but to him, it would be worth it.


	14. Chapter 14

A few weeks and several skirmishes later, Mirage was in his room again, alone. He had been banned from fighting and as far as it seemed, someone is his family banished him to his quarters. He needed stimulation – some kind, any kind. He was bored out of his processor. Mirage kept his feelings to himself, as he knew Optimus was important to all those in the base. And so in silence, Mirage suffered.

Meanwhile, in a planning session, Prowl and Optimus along with Hide were busy trying to figure out the Cons next move.

"Sir, there is a 90% chance that he will go after the old energon mine, as there is still much energon in there that does not need refinement" Prowl stated, running the numbers.

"How much is in there?" Optimus asked, sure that Prowl meant the one mine just on the outskirts of Iacon.

"No one seems to know, Prime. We would need to talk to an old mining bot" Hide stated, unsure if any even still remained.

"Are there any to talk to?"

"I am not sure, Prime. You see, that mine was shut down while Sentinel was still Prime" Hide stated, liking Optimus already much better than his predecessor, as Optimus seemed concerned about all, not just certain bots.

"Research then, and find out if any bots remain. We need to know more" Optimus stated, "and until then, meeting adjourned." Prowl and Hide headed off. Optimus rubbed his helm. He was extremely tired after this long planning session that Prowl had insisted on taking. This was not part of being Prime that Optimus liked, but he understood its necessity.

After taking a few minutes, Optimus tried coming his mate. "Love?" Optimus pulsed, hoping for a response.

"Yes…" came the short, slightly faint reply. "Can I help you?" Mirage was not being his normal self. He felt like he was alone. Optimus didn't like what he was sensing and feeling and so he raced as fast as he could to his quarters while still maintaining his "prime" dignity.

Once there, Optimus found a sad sight. Mirage was curled up on the berth, flickering in and out of visibility and had a tear stained face plate. Mirage appeared asleep. Optimus frowned. Mirage didn't seem right.

Determined to help, Optimus started pampering his mate by taking Mirage to the shower. Mirage was still a bit out of it and so Optimus had to do it all. Optimus washed Mirage carefully and then dried the bot off, being careful not to be too rough around the abdominal area. After the washing and drying, Optimus fed his mate, as he could sense Mirage was low on energon. Optimus slowly fed the bot, having read that a sparked bot could throw up all energon if fed too fast. Optimus managed to get 5 cubes down his mate before Mirage finally started coming around.

"Beloved?" Mirage stated, still sounding off but better than before.

"I am here, my sweet. Forgive me for ignoring your needs" Optimus stated, feeling awful.

"Forgiven" Mirage said with a weak and soft smile. "I know they need you as much if not more than I do."

"But there has to be balance" Optimus said, as he felt like his Orion personality was starting to take over. "You know what I mean, sweet stuff?"

Mirage unconsciously purred at that, his body priming for what was to come even if Mirage himself wasn't totally there. "What's baby doll gonna do to me?" Mirage asked, bringing the pleasure bot out in Optimus even further.

"Spoil my baby like there is no tomorrow" Optimus said in his most sultry fashion before he started gently stroking all his mate's hot spots. Mirage moaned and leaned into each touch. He needed this but he hadn't been able to bring himself to tell his mate about it or that he felt lonely being banished from everywhere but the room.

Optimus had fun and worked hard pleasuring his mate, even as he slid inside his mate. Mirage tried to return the touches, and sometimes Optimus would allow then and other times he wouldn't. Mirage trusted Optimus for whatever the bot was going to do. Both were soon headed towards overload. Mirage crashed into overload first, actually overloading three times before Optimus overloaded. It was clear Mirage had desperately needed his mate.

After having three overloads, it took Mirage almost an hour to come around and be himself. When he finally was aware enough, he found himself wrapped up in Optimus' arms with Optimus still awake and holding a cube of energon for Mirage.

"Beloved?" Mirage asked, a bit groggy, "How long have you been home?"

"Long enough…here, drink" Optimus said. He helped Mirage take the energon. "IS something bothering you love?"

Mirage didn't want to answer. "Why would you think something is bothering me?" Mirage asked, not wanting to be a bother.

"Because your spark is acting like you have something bothering you" Optimus replied.

Mirage sighed. "Love, I love you so much, I really do. I just can't stay cooped up in our quarters all the time. I need more freedom to roam and see other bots."

Optimus was puzzled. "I never banned you form leaving the room. I only banned you from fighting."

Mirage looked to his mate. He had been so sure that Optimus had done this. "That is not what the computer says" Mirage stated and showed his mate. Now Optimus could see why Mirage felt so out of it.

"I don't know who did that, but I will find out and make sure things get corrected" Optimus promised his mate. Mirage was relieved, neither knowing it had been Prowl's doing at this point, as Prowl didn't want Mirage around Wingspan and Jazz. Prowl felt Mirage could be a bad influence at times, though Prowl didn't mind Illusion, Mirage's twin. "But for now, let's just curl up and go to sleep, as I have a really bad processor ache form that meeting earlier today" Optimus stated. Both soon were out, wrapped up in one another's arms.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day, Optimus was going to check to see which Autobot changed Mirage's status but was not able to as the Cons were back for more. They were blasting any building they could find in hopes of luring out the Autobots. Yes, Megatron did want the energon in the mine, but he had learned that one of the bots that was on the Autobot team knew about the mine and what it held. That was why he was blasting the city. Well, that and he wanted to destroy the Prime. Unfortunately for Megatron, the secret tunnels that ran under the Prime's castle had been created to be undetectable.

Jazz was at Teletran 1 again and heard the alarm sound. "We have trouble Optimus, sir" Jazz shouted. "Megatron and three seekers are blasting every building in Iacon."

Optimus watched on screen to see the destruction before calling out certain Autobots to fight. Mineshaft, a relatively new recruit went as well. He didn't know that like the Prime, Mineshaft would also be a target. For Mineshaft was one of the only bots remaining who knew the energon mine just outside of Iacon. He had been teaching his son, Buster, but that stopped once they both joined the Autobots.

"Autobots, transform and roll out" Optimus called out and soon all were following him into battle.

As the Autobots headed out for the fight, the seekers and Megatron were continually blasting buildings left and right, searching for Mineshaft and Optimus Prime. "Remember, you failures. You can do whatever you want to the rest of the Autobots, but I need Mineshaft left online….for now" Megatron stated in his gravelly voice.

The Autobots soon arrived in the area of the city where the cons had been doing their dirty work. The Autobots spread out, with several taking on the three seekers, which left Optimus alone to face Megatron.

"and so we meet again, Prime" Megatron said.

"wish I could say I was happy to see you" Optimus sarcastically remarked.

Megatron growled at that. "Tough talk" Megatron replied, charging at the Prime.

"I wish you'd shut up" Optimus replied, standing his ground and blasting at the foul bot who was moving closer. Optimus got several blasts off before Megatron reached him and knocked him to the ground. Optimus immediately got back up. Thanks to the Matrix, he could fight with weapons or in hand to hand combat. Megatron began to throw punches, intent on knocking the bot unconscious before trying to kill him. Prime was quicker than Megatron and dodged multiple blows while landing some of his own. It caused Megatron to become even more irate and he tried blasting Optimus at close range.

Optimus was hurt, but he didn't let it show nor did it stop him. He blasted Megatron over and over. He never saw the seekers try to take Mineshaft, but Ironhide did and blasted Starscream as well as the other two to Kingdom come. Many shots rang out and many were hurt, the Prime and Megatron among them, but When Starscream saw a chance to blast Optimus, the seeker brought out his null rays, aimed and fired them quickly. But as the fired blast headed for Optimus, Optimus moved and now Megatron's back was right in the path of the shot, and the null rays struck the con leader.

Megatron was pissed, as it left him unable to fight in the manner he wished, so Megatron called for a retreat. "Decepticons, retreat" Megatron stated, and they left. "I'll get you next time, Prime, Next time."

After the cowards left, the Autobots looked to each other many had battle scars and that included the Prime, who had suffered greatly but was still standing. The others were in awe. They realized this Prime must be special if he could stand with all those injuries after a battle like that. "Alright Autobots, our work here is down. Let's head for base, transform and roll out" Optimus said, leading the way back to the base.

Once there, all were seen at the med bay and Ratchet and First Aid, a medic who had recently shown up, made quick repairs even on Optimus. They sent all the bots home, but Optimus did not go home. He had a mystery to solve regarding his mate the mystery of the sparked bot being banned from leaving their quarters.

Optimus went to his private computer in his office and scanned the data that had been entered. He saw that under Mirage 2 things – Mirage was banned from battle and Mirage was banned from leaving the quarters. Optimus went into a special program only he had access to, since he was the Prime, and saw who put which entry in. HE was able to see that he himself had placed the restriction of no fighting, but what bothered Optimus was that his second in command and tactician Prowl had put in the other entry. Optimus was not happy and he went to speak with Prowl.

Prowl wasn't home at the time, nor was Jazz or Wingspan. Optimus wasn't sure where they would go. Optimus commed his mate. "Love, I need to find Prowl to speak to, and Jazz and Wingspan aren't home, neither is Prowl. Can you help me find them?"

"Prowl is at work, Jazz is too. Wingspan is with my Twin, Illusion" Mirage replied. "Just remember, love, Jazz adopted Illusion and myself when we no longer had a home, and before he bonded to Prowl."

"Thank you, love. Optimus out" Optimus said, having received his first clue. He headed for Illusion's quarters.

Illusion and Wingspan were there, with wingspan napping. Optimus knocked on the door and Illusion allowed the Prime in. "Can I help you, Prime?" Illusion asked.

"Yes, I want to know about Prowl…." Optimus stated, explaining what he had found and what Mirage had told him.

Illusion sighed. "Prowl does not like that Mirage and I are considered part of Jazz's sparklings. Jazz gave us a home when we needed it. Long before Prowl came along. Prowl especially doesn't care for Mirage as Mirage always tried to defy the bot. I know my twin; it was his way of testing the older bot and while it seems juvenile, it was Mirage's way of trying to see if he could get the older bot to love him like jazz did. But the more Mirage did, the worse Prowl became towards him. Even not wanting Wingspan around Mirage. While I don't agree with either side, Prowl needed time away from Mirage to protect Prowl's own ego in a sense. That is the only thing I can think of. Please, don't be too hard on Prowl, as it will hurt Jazz and Wingspan" Illusion said.

Optimus merely nodded as he listened. "Illusion, thank you. And while I cannot leave him unpunished for harming my mate, I will make sure the punishment will not harm Jazz or Wingspan." And with that, Optimus left, preparing to throw Prowl in the brig for a bit, once Optimus found him.


	16. Chapter 16

Optimus wanted to find prowl, he really did, but he felt his mate needed him first, and so he headed back to their quarters, hoping Mirage was there. Mirage was there, but with company – as Jazz and Wingspan had stopped by to see the bot. What Optimus didn't realize was that Jazz was not happy nor was Wingspan at the fact that Mirage had been banished to his quarters.

Optimus entered his quarters and saw the three sitting on the couch. "Greetings Jazz, Wingspan. To what do we owe this visit?" Optimus said, trying to sound friendly without revealing he was formerly Orion Pax.

"We came to see Mirage since the poor bot has been banished to his quarters. I can't understand why. Just because he is sparked doesn't mean he shouldn't be allowed to roam the base a bit" Jazz said, a bit miffed at the whole thing. He and Wingspan both missed seeing the bot.

"And I miss seeing one of the bots I see as an older brother" Wingspan added.

"I did some looking into the scheduling on the computer. I only banned Mirage from fighting, as he could lose the sparklings he carries if he fights in a battle with the cons" Optimus said, which made sense to all in the room, including Mirage. "The order banning him from everywhere else came from another bot."

"Who would dare do such a thing?" Jazz asked, confused, as most bots liked Mirage who tried to help where he could.

"I bet I know" Wingspan retorted, "I bet it was that bucket of bolts you're bonded to mama."

Optimus didn't say anything at first, as Jazz reacted to Wingspan's statement. "You need to learn to treat Prowl with respect, spanner."

"But mama, its hard to treat him with respect when he doesn't treat Illusion and Mirage with respect. I know they are adopted and I know Prowl is not my sire, but Prowl treats me better than he treats the older two, with Mirage getting the worst of it." That made Jazz angry. He didn't know if he should be angry with what Wingspan said or with his mate.

"Optimus, please, tell me who was the bot" Jazz finally said after a moment of deafening silence.

"I regret to say it was placed in the computer by Prowl. I planned to throw him in the brig for a bit. I wanted to do something more, but Illusion begged me to have some mercy on him for your sake, Jazz and Wingspan."

Jazz was mad to hear it had been his mate but smiled when he heard that Optimus would be merciful in his punishment. "After he is served his time, he will be getting an audioful form me" Jazz said.

"That is your right, Jazz, but please remember to set a good example for Wingspan and the little one you took in" Optimus reminded the newly made saboteur. "By the way, how is the little one doing?"

"He is doing well. We named him Skyfire, and he is not so little" Jazz stated, unaware that part of the reason Prowl was showing his foulness was that Prowl was also sparked though no one yet knew it, not even Ratchet or Prowl himself.

"well, I think we will get going" Jazz said, taking Wingspan with him. "Thanks, and when I find Prowl, I will send him your way" Jazz calmly stated and then the pair headed off.

After they left, Optimus went to his mate. "How are you feeling, love?" Optimus asked.

"A little pissed off at Prowl, a little fat, and very…needy" Mirage replied, making the last word more sensuous sounding.

"Don't worry about Prowl, he will be dealt with. You are beautiful no matter what and I intend to show you just how beautiful you are inside and out" Optimus said, the last part coming out more like the voice of Orion. Mirage smiled at that. He loved the times when they could be their real selves in their room and just enjoy each other's company, with or without interfacing. More often than not, now though, since Mirage was sparked, each session together seemed to contain at least one interfacing session if not more.

Meanwhile, while another bot was on duty watching the cameras, another strange looking bot was heading for the base. It didn't have a Decepticon insignia on it. The monitor bot wasn't sure if he should guide this bot in or not.

"State your name and faction" the monitor bot called out via comm to the other bot.

"Wheeljack, head scientist of Eron. Seeking shelter with the Autobots" Wheeljack said. He had been chased from the far side of the planet. He hoped that the Autobots would accept him. The monitor bot sent out a few Autobots, like Hide and Mineshaft to escort this new bot to the base. They would take him in and Optimus could see the bot a little later.

The pair went out and helped find the bot. Mineshaft, being much older, had heard of this bot, even though the bot had lived on the far side of the planet. It was an old mining joke that you didn't want to get blown up like that scientist Wheeljack. IT reminded the miners to be careful.

They soon reached the bot and brought him back to the base. They immediately took him into the med bay, unaware that Ratchet had known this bot from previous times as they had gone to some similar training though both had lost touch afterwards as they were on opposite sides of the planet. Wheeljack was brought to Ratchet, but First Aid was in the med bay at the time.

"Can ya fix him up?" Hide asked Aid.

"Sure can" First Aid said and began his work. It didn't take long and soon Wheeljack was done. Wheeljack headed out, hoping he soon could plead his case before the Prime, unaware that this Prime allowed all to be part of this.

"Here, we'll get you some quarters for now, Prime will talk to you later" Hide stated, leading Jack to an open quarters.

"Thank you" Wheeljack said.

"Don't thank me," Hide stated as he was leaving, "Thank the Prime. He welcomes all." Jack nodded and soon settled in, hoping to speak to the Prime sooner rather than later. He hoped he could not only become an Autobot but also continue working as a scientist, even if his luck was terrible.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning, as Optimus was meeting with the newly arrived Wheeljack and trying to find him a place for his experiments, Jazz confronted Prowl.

"I know what you did" Jazz said flatly, angry at his mate. "But before I talk to you, I am supposed to send your sorry aft to Optimus, as he wishes to address you first."

Prowl lowered his helm. He didn't like it when Jazz was upset and this time Prowl knew he had royally screwed up if Jazz was sending him to Optimus first. Prowl headed out, as he saw little other choice.

Optimus had just finished up helping Jack when he saw Prowl coming. "A word with you in my office" Optimus said. Prowl nodded and went with Optimus. If it was one thing Optimus made sure of, whenever he decided to discipline any bot, he spoke with them in private. He believed it was what good Primes did. Prowl headed in, unsure of what was the trouble this time.

"I became aware of the fact that you made sure that my mate Mirage could not only not fight in battle but also not even leave our quarters. I am not sure what caused you to do such a thing, but I am not happy about it. I will give you one chance to explain what you thought you would accomplish by banishing Mirage to our quarters" Optimus said sternly.

Prowl looked his commander in the optic. It was easy to see that Optimus was upset but he was also willing to listen. "Sir, I cannot give a good excuse. If an excuse must be given, it would be jealousy. I know neither my mate, Wingspan, or Mirage are happy with me. I am not sure how Illusion feels, sir. I just wanted more time with Jazz, but it seemed like the two young ones plus the older ones seemed to take all his time. I figured if Mirage was holed in his quarters for a while, maybe Jazz would give me more time. I am sorry, sir" Prowl stated, his moodiness obvious to the Prime. Optimus could tell something was up with the bot, but that still would not stop Optimus from punishing the bot.

"Prowl, this is not a mistake I can take lightly. You should have worked harder to talk with your mate about your needs. However, I will have compassion on you. We will stop by the med bay to make sure you are functioning correctly and then you will sit a few days in the brig, unless prevented from doing so by the medic. If prevented by the medic from being in the brig, your punishment will be to personally apologize to all the mechs you hurt doing this. Agreed?"

"Agreed" Prowl stated, wondering why in the world Optimus would make Prowl stop by the Med bay.

Soon, they arrived and Optimus spoke with Ratchet regarding what had happened and what the Prime was looking for in the medical scan. Ratchet sighed but nodded, the last thing he needed around here was another sparked bot, but he agreed to the scan. Ratchet scanned over the bot. He found what Optimus had suspected and then some.

"Prowl…you have a virus; you are low on energon and…. you are sparked with twins" Ratchet stated in his usual gruff manner. Prowl passed out at the news, which gave Ratchet a chance to set up a virus removal program and an energon drip.

Optimus watched Ratchet before asking, "Ratchet, with him being sparked, would he be able to spend three days in the brig for what he has done? I don't wish him harm, but he needs to be disciplined for what he has done."

"No, he cannot. The brig is not safe for a sparked bot, as they could catch all manners of disease down there and lose their sparklings. No, I cannot medically allow him to sit in the brig."

"Ok, then his punishment will be to sincerely apologize to those he hurt" Optimus said.

"That is a better one anyway, as it will make a greater impact on him" Ratchet said.

Prowl was soon coming back around. "Glad to see you've returned" Ratchet stated. "You will need to tell your mate as soon as possible." Prowl nodded and then looked to Optimus.

"Ratchet has medically banned you from being sent to the brig, as it could harm your developing sparklings. Instead, your punishment is to sincerely apologize to those you hurt, starting with Mirage and to remove the restriction of him being banished to his room. Then you can apologize to Jazz, Wingspan, and Illusion. I already accepted your apology to me when you honestly told me about why you did this" Optimus told Prowl before heading out. Prowl was stunned but realized he really did make a mess of things, and once Ratchet released him, he would go fulfill his punishment, but for now the drip and the antivirus were still attached and still working on his systems.

Meanwhile, far away at the Con base, Megatron was fuming at yet another defeat to the Autobots as well as being in a foul mood after being repaired from the battle. This was harder than he thought it would ever be. But then he read an old data pad one of his minions had come across – it talked about a secret object that was almost as powerful as the Matrix of Leadership. It was called the Armor of Unicron. Megatron had quickly learned that Primus and Unicron were enemies, at least according to Transformer legend, and while Primus was the good force and had created the Matrix, Unicron, the evil force, had created the Armor of Unicron to try and counter balance the Matrix. Megatron knew he had to get a hold of this legendary Armor. He knew it had to exist because the Matrix of Leadership existed. The only question for Megatron now was where to find this mysterious armor and how he could use it to his advantage to slaughter the current Prime once he did find it.


	18. Chapter 18

Megatron knew he had to get that Armor, but in order to search for it, he needed more energon. The one place he knew had to have more was that mine just outside of Iacon, as he had learned it was a secret stash for the Prime. But only high level bots who worked that mine would know. That was why he had to get to Mineshaft to steal the energon before going to search for the Armor. Plus, the theft would make the Autobots much easier to destroy once he did return with the evil armor. He now had a clear mission and nothing and no one would stand in his way – not even the Prime.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base, Prowl had been discharged from the med bay and he had already removed the restriction of Mirage being banished to his quarters. Prowl swallowed hard as he headed to talk to and apologize to Mirage, who Optimus had said to apologize to first. Why, Prowl wasn't sure, but an order was an order. Mirage knocked on the door. Mirage answered.

"May I help you?" Mirage asked semi-sarcastically, as he was sick of being Prowl's target.

Prowl nodded. "I suppose, I deserved that. I…I came to …. Ap…apologize for my actions action you" Prowl finally managed to get out. "And I hoped I could ask…for your forgiveness."

Mirage was stunned. He couldn't believe the stubborn tactician was actually apologizing. "You serious?" Mirage asked, hurting Prowl unintentionally. "You never liked me, you've been hard on my since you bonded to Jazz, who took me in after my twin and I lost our homes. We were once tower bots just like you, but we were chased to the slums. You seem to hate us, and now you wish to apologize?" Mirage let off, as he could no longer hold back thanks to a well-timed mood swing.

Prowl sighed. HE hadn't expected Mirage to unload on him. "All I can say is I am sorry and I will try better" Prowl said. "I will also need your help, as I am sparked. I know Jazz has sparked before, but I don't know if he will be much help, as I, like you, carry twins." Mirage listened to what the bot had to say. They seemed to rebuild their bond as a family.

After a few hours, Mirage let Prowl go. Mirage was happy now and Prowl was relieved. But Prowl was worried. AS his next two to apologize to he feared would not be as forgiving. As Prowl headed home, it was just his luck that Jazz, Wingspan, and Illusion were all there. He sighed. He had hoped to do this one on one, but that wasn't going to happen.

Jazz and Wingspan glared at the bot while Illusion just smiled. No matter what, Illusion just seemed to always smiled no matter what happened. Illusion was also aware, thanks to the twin bond, of what Prowl and Mirage had done.

"Before anyone else speaks, I want to say two things," Prowl stated humbly, "one – I am sorry for my actions and that I have not been as gracious as I should have been accepting Mirage and Illusion into our family. Two – I am sparked."

Wingspan, though miffed, was happy to hear the first part. Jazz, who did want to remain mad, softened when he heard the second part. Jazz had been through sparking before and he knew it could play tricks on a bot. Still, Jazz did want to know one other thing. "Did you talk to Optimus?"

"Yes, jazz, I did. He was going to send me to the brig for what I did to Mirage, but instead he sent me to the med bay where I was found to be carrying twins. When Ratchet said I would be unable to be in the brig, Optimus gave me another punishment instead – to sincerely apologize to all those I hurt, starting with Mirage. I also was to remove the restriction I added to Mirage" Prowl stated, realizing he had completed his punishment now that he had apologized to the other three involved.

"I knew you could be a good bot, Prowl" Illusion stated with a smile. "You just had to find it in your spark." Prowl was amazed at just how quick Illusion was to forgive. He carefully looked to the others.

"I suppose I can forgive you" Wingspan stated, as he was still upset about this all, but he was still young.

That just left Jazz. Prowl feared Jazz's reaction the most. "Prowl, I still cannot believe that you did what you did and how you tried to hurt an adopted son. It still hurts that you did those things, but I still love you, and while I don't like what you did, I forgive you" Jazz finally uttered. True, he hadn't liked what his mate had done, but his mate had made amends for those things. "Also, if you are in need of something…talk to me." Prowl nodded and went to his mate.

Meanwhile, Optimus headed back to his quarters, hoping that Mirage would be there, but Mirage wasn't there. Mirage was out and about doing things. Optimus frowned a bit, but figured he could see Mirage later, as Optimus had recently learned Prowl had done what had been asked of him. Optimus pulsed a horny pulse across the bond, hoping it would lure Mirage home sooner. Mirage got the pulse, but wasn't able to return just yet, as Mirage was getting examined in the med bay, and pulsed that through the bond.

Upon realizing that his mate was in the med bay, Optimus headed there, wondering what news they would receive this time. Optimus came bursting through the door, just as Ratchet said "It looks like twin mechlings."

 _CLANK!_

Mirage and Ratchet both looked over to see Optimus passed out on the ground from shock, neither realzing he had come into the med bay unitl that moment. "Um…Ratchet.. is he ok?"

"Yeah, some bots do that when they find out what type of sparklings they will be having" Ratchet said, getting Optimus to the berth next to Mirage.

"I just hope he never carries any, or things will get even more complicated" Mirage said as he waited for his mate to come around. Slowly Optimus came to. "You alright, big guy?' Mirage asked quietly.

Optimus just smiled. "Always." He hugged his mate, waiting until they could head back to their quarters for more fun.


	19. Chapter 19

A few weeks later, the Cons made another attempt on the city of Iacon. They were looking for Mineshaft and the knowledge he held of the Prime's energon mine which was just outside the city. The Cons were relentless in their pursuit of him, not realizing his was old and on his deathbed. He had passed all his knowledge on to his son, Buster. Buster watched as his father faded. Soon, Mineshaft passed away. He had been the last of the mine bots who had served under Sentinel, with the exception being his son Buster.

Optimus, once done with Fighting the blasted coms for the moment, ordered a proper entombment of the bot. Buster was amazed, as he now saw how different this Prime was. Sentinel had never really cared about the mine bots. If they died, he just let them lie. Not this Prime, and Buster appreciated it. After the ceremony, Optimus spoke a bit with Buster just to let the bot know that if Buster needed anything, he could come and ask the Prime. Buster nodded and then headed home.

Meanwhile, word of the bot's demise eventually floated to Megatron and he was pissed. As now it seemed there was no way to know where the secret rooms of the mine were. Megatron would have to find the armor first and then get to the mine. And so, he made that his new goal and the mine could come later, as his search team had found another distant mine near another devastated city to raid and use energon from.

Meanwhile, Orion was in his quarters, playing with little Bumblebee and teaching the young bot much like Orion had taught his other son. And much like Optimus, Bee was a fast learner. "Alright, my little bee, come. Walk to me" Orion said softly and soon the minibot walked over to the older bot. Orion smiled and encouraged the little one. Bee felt the love and was happy. He loved his family.

Ironhide soon came home and saw the two playing and walking together. It made the old bot smile. "IT seems he learns quickly" Hide stated in a somewhat quiet voice so he didn't startle bee. He also did not want to scare his mate, who he had noticed had been gaining some weight though Hide made no mention of it. He did not want to upset his sweet mate if he could help it.

"Indeed, he does" Orion replied. "Now walk to your daddy, little bee." With gentle encouragement, Bumblebee walked over to the old weapon's specialist and grabbed the od bot's leg in a tight hug. Ironhide smiled and then scooped the young one up, causing Bee to erupt with giggles.

"Silly Bee" Hide said as he held the little one close to his spark.

"But he is our silly Bee" Orion said and hide nodded. They enjoyed having the little one around, and hoped to add more soon.

Then came a surprise, as Optimus knocked at the door. Hide went to Open it, bee in his arms. Optimus smiled. "I hope I am not interrupting something. My mate went to see his twin and so I came to see how Orion was, I see Bumblebee is happy" Optimus said, a bit surprised yet happy to realize that he was indeed a big brother.

"Come on in, Prime" Hide stated before closing the door. "Bee, I want to introduce you to your really big brother – Optimus."

Bee carefully studied the bot before deciding to reach out to the big blue and red bot. Optimus held out his arms and accepted the little yellow bot, but had trouble holding the little one in a way that the little one liked. "Like this, my little one" Orion softly said, correcting how the Prime was holding the sparkling. Bee, feeling more secure, giggled and smiled as he nuzzled Optimus. Optimus smiled back and held the little one close.

"You know, mama, this makes me excited to hold and see my sparklings to come" Optimus said, sounding a little like Orion Pax but not too much.

"And if I know you, you will do a wonderful job." Optimus smiled, as his mama's praise always made him feel better. Optimus was already learning so much about taking care of sparklings that he decided to stay a bit longer to help with Bee so he could learn more.

Meanwhile, with his twin, Mirage was trying to keep up as they worked on their illusionary skills. He knew he would need it, but the sparklings took so much out of him.

"Bro, you need to drink more energon" Illusion said, worried for his twin, "carrying can take a lot out of a bot."

"Since when did you become so knowledgeable about sparked bots?" Mirage asked, curious.

"Since I went and talked to Aide and Ratchet as well as read up on some old data pads in the library area. You see, I hope to have my own sparklings someday too, and so I read up" Illusion replied, a slight hint of sadness at the mention of it.

"Don't worry, my brother, when the time is right, you will find a bot you love and will love you too. Love has a sneaky way of sneaking up on us" Mirage encouraged.

"Don't I know it. Ever since we've moved in here, I get hit on by bots left and right. I just want to be left alone for a bit" Illusion told his twin, who hadn't known as Mirage had been banished to his quarters for a bit.

"I wish I could help more, but I'm taken and sparked" Mirage said, really wishing he could help more.

"Just being able to talk with you freely is helpful" Illusion said with a smile. And with that, both called it a day and headed back to their quarters. Illusion went straight to bed while Mirage waited for his mate, hoping that tonight, Optimus would not be late.


	20. Chapter 20

A month or so later, Mirage was obviously heavily sparked with sparklings, as his abdomen stuck out on his normally slender frame. He knew it was because of the sparklings, but he didn't like how it made him look or that it prevented him from transforming smoothly into his other mode. Not being able to do as much also made Mirage feel a bit useless and soured his mood a bit. He tried to remain happy but it was hard. It was even harder due to the fact that his mate was needed so often to monitor the activities of the enemy, which neither Mirage nor Optimus liked.

For the past month, as Mirage and Prowl's unsparked sparklings grew, things near Iacon had grown quiet, and that worried Optimus. He knew the cons were never this quiet for long and he wondered what they could possibly be up to. And as he wondered, he felt a strange pulsing in his chest. It wasn't the spark bond, Optimus knew that much, but he wasn't for sure what it was. He decided that he would follow the command of the pulse and close his optics, hoping it wouldn't lead him into a trap or worse.

Primus used the Matrix of leadership to reach out to the bot, this one being a lot more responsive than most Primes Primus had selected previously including Sentinel. Optimus felt himself being led further and further into somewhere, somewhere strange that didn't exactly appear to be real or fake. Then he saw a strange bot before him. He didn't know her, as she had existed long ago. She was a beautiful shade of green, and he even thought she was very pretty. She soon opened her optics and smiled as she saw him approach.

"Hi Optimus" Jade Prime stated, "I have been expecting you."

"You have?" Optimus asked, curious. Jade Prime looked at this new bot. This bot had been different from another Optimus that Jade had known in ancient times, but this was Optimus none-the-less. Jade realized that this bot had been a reformatted version of the old Optimus, though it was clear any trace of the old bot had been removed and replaced. She realized that Primus had brought the bot from the past, but made him new.

"Yes. You see, I am inside the Matrix. I have imparted wisdom in here gathered from when I was Prime long ago. You seek answers, Optimus."

"Yes, the Decepticons have been quiet, too quiet, and I fear they are planning something" Optimus stated, telling her all he knew of their movements and attacks.

"They may well be. After all, they may be going after the Armor of Unicron" Jade stated, having just learned of the armor in her time long ago.

"Armor of Unicron?" Optimus asked, confused. He had never heard of such a thing. It made no sense to him.

"Yes. Unicron is the sworn enemy of Primus, the creator. Primus created the Matrix, which now resides in you. Unicron, in a fit of rage, formatted something to be nearly as strong – it was known as the Armor of Unicron. It is powerful as well, as it was bestowed with energy from the evil one" Jade explained.

"Is it as powerful as the Matrix?" Optimus asked.

"Almost. But good always triumphs over evil" Jade stated, "But be warned, if it is obtained by the leader of the cons, it will make you task of defeating them much harder. AS it will give them more strength than most bots possess."

Optimus nodded. "This is good information to know, Jade Prime. Anything else I should know?"

"If you ever have any questions, you can always come here for wisdom, but be careful not to go too deep for too long, or you might get lost. Also, if you feel a certain pulse in your chest, either an old Prime or Primus is trying to get a hold of you" Jade stated, wanting to make sure Optimus understood the full power of the Matrix.

"Thank you" Optimus replied. Optimus was very grateful for the information and soon found himself awake and in his office. He was stunned by what he had learned but also worried. If Megatron did obtain the secret evil Armor of Unicron, then only he with the power of the Matrix would have any chance of defeating the bot. This made things all the direr. He hoped that they could defeat the Cons before they could reach it.

Meanwhile, in the frozen section on the bottom of Cybertron, Megatron was scoping things out. He had scoured old legends and found that most likely, Unicron would have placed the Armor where it would be extremely hard to find and difficult to obtain, as Unicron was not only evil, but also he didn't like sharing his "powers" with anyone, unlike Primus, who gifted to those who followed him. Megatron had already lost a few bots to the extreme conditions but that did not stop him. His sickening lust for more power was too great to stop him from obtaining what he set out to obtain. The only question in his foul processor was could he obtain it before the Autobots found out where they were and stop them. Only time would tell.


	21. Chapter 21

Cybertron was now a planet divided. Civil war was all bots knew. Cities and such were left in utter ruin. Only the brave ventured forth, and usually only if they had too.

The Autobots were fortunate in the fact that the Prime tunnels that had become their base was well protected, though they knew they didn't necessarily mean they were completely safe. Those who chose to fight protected those who could not fight or chose not to fight – Mirage being in the former category. Not that he minded, as he hated war anyway.

Mirage looked at his swollen abdomen, wondering how in the world he and his mate were going to raise these twin mechlings in this chaos. He was still trying to figure what to name the little ones, when Optimus walked in, a bit upset.

"Beloved?" Mirage asked carefully, sensing that Optimus was angry.

"Those damn Cons!" Optimus yelled, not realizing that he had been so angry that instead of heading to his office, he had made it home.

"What?" Mirage asked, a bit fearful. Optimus had always been gentle and loving, but this was not a side Mirage had seen before.

"Megatron must have found the Armor" Optimus said, punching a hole in the wall. Mirage no longer felt safe in seeing Optimus' rage, and so quietly, Mirage left. The strain on his systems causing him to malfunction a bit. He was getting overstressed and might lose the sparklings if he wasn't careful. HE tried to head for the med bay, but wasn't quite able to make it. HE passed out in a quiet hallway that few bots ever passed through.

Meanwhile, his anger finally having subsided, Optimus was stunned to realize that he was in his own quarters and not in his office. Optimus eagerly looked around, but then began to worry, as Mirage was gone. Mirage had been choosing to spend more time in their quarters and so it was odd that Mirage wasn't there. Then Optimus felt a strange pulsing in his spark. Mirage was in trouble, though Optimus had no idea where.

Meanwhile, down the seldom travelled hall, Wheeljack was traveling between the med bay and his scientific laboratory when he found Mirage. Wheeljack didn't know the bot, but he could see the bot needed help and dragged the illusionist to the med bay.

"Hey Ratch" the scientist said, aware that the medic would not exactly be pleased he had returned.

"Yes, Jack. What did you blow up this time?" Ratchet asked, back turned.

"Nothing…I brought this strange bot in…" Jack said.

Ratchet turned around and was stunned to see mirage. "Quick get him on a table. And be careful he is sparked" Ratchet said, racing around to grab needed items. Mirage didn't look good.

"Who is this?" Jack asked as he tried to help.

"This is Mirage. He is the sparked mate of our leader, Optimus…" Ratchet said, scrambling to hang a drip and run a scan.

"This is Mirage?" Jack asked, stunned. Since he had arrived, he had heard of Mirage but had never met him.

"The one and only. Now do something useful – call Optimus, Jazz, and Illsuion" Ratchet barked at the scientist, who finally did do something useful and commed the three. All three came running.

"What happened?" Jazz asked, having arrived first.

"Bro!" Illusion called out, as he had never seen his twin like this.

Optimus said nothing, but lowered his helm. HE had a feeling that he had had a hand in this.

"Ratchet, what happened?" Illusion asked, confused.

"His systems are malfunctioning a bit and he is stressed out" Ratchet stated, trying to figure out how Mirage got this stressed.

"I…I may have been the cause" Optimus finally spoke and told of what had happened when he accidentally went home and got angry instead of to his office. "I never touched him, but my anger may have made him fear me and stressed him out." Jazz glared at the Prime, obviously upset at this turn in events. Illusion was puzzled.

"Optimus, sir, how could you confuse your quarters for your office?" Illusion asked, as he knew they were in two opposite directions.

"I was heading home to be with Mirage when…I got a comm. It was a comm about Megatron having possibly found…. The armor of Unicron" Optimus stated, the others unsure what that had to do with anything and still a bit miffed at the Prime.

"What is this Armor of Unicron?" Jazz asked sharply.

"It is the only other transformer legendary source of power that could possibly take out the Matrix of leadership and the bearer of the Matrix" Optimus informed the others. Things made a little more sense and the others stopped being so hard on Optimus.

Slowly, very slowly, Mirage began to come back around. He could feel his mate nearby, as well as feel how sorry his mate felt for what he had done. Though weak, Mirage pulsed love to Optimus. Optimus felt it and pulsed back. Mirage soon onlined his optics, startling most of the bots in the room.

"Am…am I going to be ok?" Mirage asked softly.

"I think so. We are running an energon line into you and the scans of the twins reveal that they are ok. I want you to rest" Ratchet stated. Jazz and Illusion, relieved, soon headed out. Optimus stayed. He felt like he was needed here.

"I forgive you, beloved" Mirage spoke softly. Optimus felt awful for what he had done and promised to make it up to Mirage. Mirage was glad. They rested a bit, and once Mirage was better, Optimus carried his mate home.

Meanwhile, true to the rumor that had been sent to Optimus, Megatron had located the Armor of Unicron. And while Unicron was not entirely pleased, it wasn't entirely pissed off either. Megatron headed back to the run-down citadel that he had made his base. He would put the armor on and then go to face his nemesis. He couldn't wait to see the looks on all other bots' faces when they realized he had truly found the evilest secret weapon that a bot could use. Megatron laughed. This time, he had not failed and he wouldn't fail at his next mission, or so he truly believed.


	22. Chapter 22

Skirmishes and battles came and went. Whenever Megatron and the Decepticons planned something and went on the attack, Optimus was there, with his brave Autobots, to stop them. Battle after battle left both sides wounded and more battle hardened for the next time. Megatron even put the Armor of Unicron to use, but with Optimus holding the Matrix, it meant they were back to being equally matched. Each side had wins and losses.

And during one of the fights, when most of the base was gone save for a few bots, Mirage felt off. At first it was just a minor pain and so he shrugged it off and tried to rest. He had been having minor pains on and off as he was sparked and was very close to being due.

He could only get a few minutes of rest in before he felt another pain, though this one felt less minor and more painful. Mirage used his processor to help him focus and breath through the pain. It soon subsided. This was getting ridiculous, he thought. He knew his mate was out, as was most of the fighting part of the base, which included Illusion and Jazz. Wingspan was too young and Prowl directed form the base as he was sparked. Mirage wasn't sure what to do, but instinct told him to seek out the med bay.

And so with much effort, he got himself off his berth. He was a bit dizzy at first and nearly fell over, but was able to steady himself. Once steadied, he headed for the door. The pain was starting to get more and more intense. He wanted his mate, wanted him so badly, but Optimus was out of reach and a long ways off fighting Megatron.

Mirage, still slightly wobbly, used the walls to help keep him upright as he headed for the med bay. The pain made him stop every few steps, just to get it to stop long enough so he could continue a few more. He hoped someone had been left in the med bay.

Finally, he reached the med bay and collapsed upon a med bay berth closest to the door. First Aid was in the med bay and heard the crash. "Mirage!?" Aid shouted, rushing to the bot. "What's wrong?" Mirage couldn't answer other than with a moan but when Aid felt oil seeping out of the bot, Aid knew. Mirage was sparking.

"Ratchet, get to the med bay" Aid called to the older medic who had also been left behind this time.

"Why?" Ratchet asked, as he had been down there a little bit ago.

"Mirage is sparking…I need help as most the base is gone" First Aid stated. He needed help as Mirage wasn't making this easy. With pain wracking his body, Mirage seemed to be fighting every attempt that First aid was using to help the bot.

Ratchet came racing for the med bay, hoping he wasn't too late. Ratchet burst in through the doors and then saw Aid struggling with Mirage. Mirage normally was a pretty easy going bot, but an anxious bot in pain was unpredictable and Mirage was no exception. "Mirage, you are sparking" Ratchet said in a loud booming voice. IT was enough to help Aid get Mirage a little under control. "I will help you, as will aid, but you have to do as we say, especially if you want those twins to survive." Mirage merely nodded, tired and in too much pain to say anything really.

Ratchet positioned himself and waited for the first little one to appear. Little was an understatement, as the mechling looked huge. No wonder Mirage was in such pain. Ratchet could only hope both weren't this big, or he might have to open the bot up. Slowly, the mechling made its way out, ripping some of Mirage's sensitive metal as it did so. Once finally out, Ratchet could see that this one took after his father, with the exception of the coloration – which was like Mirage's coloration. Ratchet cleaned the mechling off, assessed its health and then set it aside in a clean crib berth that Aid had quickly made up for the little ones.

Mirage didn't get much of a break before the second one was coming. And while this one was big, he was not quite as big as his twin and he easily passed through the sparking channel. The only problem was that as Ratchet held the little one, he flickered in and out. Ratchet knew this was an extremely rare trait and wondered where it had come from, as Aid had done Mirage and Illusion's checkups and Ratchet had not read them yet. Ratchet carefully cleaned and assessed the little one before setting him in the special made sparking berth as well.

Meanwhile, exhausted, Mirage passed out. He was tired and in pain but was so glad to have been able to spark healthy young ones. And it was as Mirage lay on the berth passed out, that Optimus was brought in injured from the most recent skirmish. Ratchet swore. This was not a good day. Optimus, on the other hand, was more worried about his mate than the wound pulsing energon on the leader's chest.

"What's wrong with my mate?" Optimus demanded to know.

"He sparked. Now sit down and let me fix this or you will have to wait even longer to meet your sons" Ratchet stated, using a wrench to the helm for emphasis. Ratchet didn't let bots get out of control in his med bay.

Optimus growled. He was low on energon and in pain. "No. Show me my sons now" Optimus stated, not believing the medic.

"Fine" Ratchet agreed, having observed the wound wasn't as bad as it appeared. He brought the mechlings over. "Meet your sons."

Optimus was amazed at how tiny yet how large they appeared. He gently stroked their faceplates with a finger, as he didn't wish to get his own energon on them. "Mommy should name you" Optimus said and he sat down and allowed Ratchet to work as Optimus studied the twins.

Mirage slowly roused, having already been repaired from the sparking. He looked around and noticed his mate. He was worried. "Beloved?" Mirage uttered softly.

Optimus turned towards his mate. "I am here. I am fine. Ratchet introduced me to our sons" Optimus said, the last part with a huge smile.

"Yes, they are quite the big little ones" Mirage stated.

"What do we name them?" Optimus asked.

"How about Peacekeeper for the bigger and quieter of the two" Mirage stated, and then noticed the other little one flashing in and out of sight, "And Flasher for that one."

Optimus smiled. "Those names are perfect." The sparklings cooed. They were just happy to be loved and wanted.


	23. Chapter 23

Once fixed, Optimus held his sons close. He felt strangely connected to them, unaware that they had connected their little sparks to his spark, the way all little sparklings do to their parents/creators. Mirage just watched the scene. He was still tired and drained. Optimus opened his mask, unaware that had had a battle scar underneath the mask as he had thought the laser blast had bounced off his mask. Mirage saw it and was shocked, but said nothing as he didn't want to ruin this special moment.

"So precious" Optimus said as he held them close to his spark.

"Yes, they are precious" Mirage said with a soft smile. He was proud of having sparked the little ones without too many complications.

Ratchet soon appeared. He saw the sight of the leader holding the little ones and smiled. But Ratchet stopped smiling when he saw the battle scar that he had missed during his initial assessment. Of course, since he had been busy helping Mirage with the sparklings, it was a given that he wouldn't see everything. Ratchet approached. "Optimus, would you mind setting them down a minute, I need to look at something: Ratchet said. Optimus put the little ones down in the special crib berth, thinking that Ratchet needed to check the little ones over. Optimus was a bit surprised when Ratchet started working on Optimus. "Prime, you have a huge battle scar on your face that I didn't previously see, as your mask covered it. Now I have to take care of it." Optimus, a bit shocked, nodded and let the medic do what he needed to do.

Meanwhile, unaware of the new life, Jazz and Prowl were in their room alone. They had sent Wingspan and Skyfire to Illusion's place so that they could have some alone time. Prowl needed, as his emotions were getting the better of him. Jazz had noticed and now that he knew his mate was sparked, Jazz knew exactly what he needed to do. First was feed Prowl's tanks and then feed his "inner" need. Prowl, trusting his mate, allowed Jazz to do whatever. He had, while they were at home, since Jazz had read Prowl the riot act after what Prowl had done to Mirage.

"Drink up, Prowler" Jazz said, already indicating exactly where he wanted this night to go.

"Yes, love" Prowl said and drank up. He knew he was starting to run low, as the sparklings took much out of him. That and he knew Jazz would never let the tactician interface unless the tactician has full tanks. Prowl surprisingly drank 4 huge tanks before being satisfied. Jazz was a little surprised but not too much as jazz remembered being sparked with Wingspan and how much that took out of him.

"Alright, Prowler, let's have fun" Jazz stated in a lovingly dominant way. Prowl subconsciously purred. True, he worked as a bot who enjoyed control and order, but deep down, his secret fetish was to submit. Jazz had figured that part out long ago. And Jazz was about to use that fetish to help his mate regain control. Jazz guided his mate to their berth. Prowl followed, the unspoken command starting him already preparing for a fantastic session. Jazz made it a fun one, and both enjoyed several huge overloads.

After the sessions, Prowl was stasis locked for a short time before coming around. When he did come around he smiled at his mate. "Thank you, my love" Prowl said, sounding like the Prowl Jazz knew and loved.

"You are welcome, Prowler. I wish you would stop hiding things from me" Jazz said, a bit hurt that Prowl had trouble letting down his guard much even when they were alone.

"I…I'm sorry love. I've always been a private bot. My glitch…" Prowl stated, for the first time ever revealing to someone other than a medic that he had a glitch.

"Glitch?" Jazz asked, interrupting his mate.

Prowl sighed and nodded. "Ever since I was sparked I had this glitch where I freeze up at times. While I lived in the towers, many bots made fun of me just to try to get me to glitch. It hurt and so I became a hard aft, hoping that if I shut the world out, they would stop. I've been doing it so long… it's difficult to stop" Prowl said, lowering his helm. He feared what jazz would do.

Jazz felt the fear rise in his mate. Jazz had compassion on the bot. He lifted Prowl's helm up. "Prowler, I love you. And having this glitch isn't going to make me love you any less. For you see, I have a glitch too" Jazz said and removed his visor. "I was sparked mostly blind. I still have optic cables so that my visor can link to my processor allowing me to see. I have also been made fun of and had my visor stolen from me. I only received it when a kind sparked medic decided to help me."

Prowl hugged his mate tightly. And while the glitches may have been different, they both understood where the other had come from. And that brought the two even closer together. Prowl was relieved that he wasn't the only bot out there with a glitch. Both were extremely glad that despite this, Prime still wanted them in the Autobots and to help with the Autobot cause which both believed fully in.

Meanwhile, frustrated at his minions for their multiple failures, Megatron ordered some of his men to be destroyed and others were forcibly sparked so that he would have new soldiers to create. He now eagerly sought out any sparkling in hopes of turning it into a warrior for himself. One that would not fail. Megatron didn't get the concept that bots weren't perfect and would sometimes fail no matter how hard they tried.

To Megatron, failure was not an option and those who failed were closer to their own demise, though somehow Starscream, a constant failure, seemed to survive every beating and thing done to him by Megatron, which was why this time, Megatron decided to force sparklings on the idiot. Maybe, since Starscream lasted so long somehow, his sparklings would have the same tenacity, only they would be less rebellious or so Megatron hoped.


	24. Chapter 24

At the Decepticon base, Starscream was livid and pissed. He didn't like what had been done to him, granted, it let him live. Still, this move made him angry. Starscream still tried to rebel and defy Megatron, but the leader found ways to make the seeker submit without harming the sparklings, though no one was quite sure how that worked, as Starscream looked pretty busted up.

Meanwhile, on a break from their new sparklings, Mirage was waiting to spoil Optimus when the bot came home. Optimus had been in the med bay yet again after an attack from the cons, but at Least nothing was too damaged this time. Mirage knew Optimus felt a bit overwhelmed and so Mirage planned to treat Optimus special tonight. Tonight, it was time for Optimus to rest and Orion to come forth and play. Mirage made the room cozy and prepared his mate's favorite energon. Soft music played as Mirage waited.

The med bay took a bit longer than expected but soon Optimus was heading home. He felt like he was in a funk. It had been way too long for him since he had had an opportunity to be Orion, the little bot whose only responsibility was to please others, especially with pleasure. Optimus didn't realize it, and neither did his mother, but when the power of the Matrix combined with Orion's desire for pleasure, heat had been ignited in the Prime. No recent prime had ever carried sparklings, only their mates. There were legends of it, but nothing had ever been seen.

Optimus headed home, his senses getting clouded by his need for intimacy…. And a need to carry life. He barely made it in the door before Orion came forth.

"Sweetie" came the soft shocked voice of Orion.

"Yes, baby doll?" Mirage answered, grateful to have Optimus home now that this was coming.

"What is all this?" Orion asked, worriedly.

"This is for you, sweet stuff. I figured tonight was a night Optimus would take a rest and Orion would be spoiled" Mirage said, rubbing his mate softly in a sweet spot.

Optimus buzzed with delight as his former persona took over. He had needed this release so bad. Mirage led his mate to the table with the special energon on it. Mirage fed his mate some before allowing Optimus to finish the rest. It tasted so sweet and delicious. Optimus already felt on his way to heaven,

"Ah…ah, sweetie pie. First to the showers, then dessert" Mirage teased and took his mate to get washed off. Mirage scrubbed Optimus good and then oiled the squeaky joints. Optimus felt even better and even hotter. This was processor blowing. Mirage worked the former pleasure bot up good. "Now for desser…" Mirage said, interrupted by being grabbed by Optimus and carried quickly into the berth room. Optimus' optics left no room for argument. Mirage let Optimus do whatever he wished, and mirage experienced awesome pleasure as did Optimus.

But as the activities carried on, Optimus began begging for a spark merge. Mirage, figuring it was too soon for him to spark again and that Optimus wouldn't, agreed to do so. The sparks merge, not only strengthening their spark bond, but also heavily sparking the leader. He didn't know it yet, but he was sparked – with five. At this point, though, he didn't care. His need to please and his burning heat desire had subsided as they overloaded from the spark merge. Boy would Ratchet and everyone be in for a surprise soon.

As they cooled down, Mirage looked to his mate, hoping Optimus felt better. "Better, beloved?" Mirage asked, using his special name for Optimus. Mirage really hoped Optimus did feel better and not so much in a funk.

Optimus had a huge smile on his face. It was obvious that he indeed felt much better. "Much better. Thank you so much." Mirage smiled and kissed his mate softly on the lips. Optimus softly kissed his mate back. They figured Orion and Hide would be ok with them coming later to pick up the sparklings, and so they drifted off to sleep together.

Meanwhile, in another area of the base, Wheeljack was working on an experiment to hopefully help the Autobot cause. He wasn't quite sure what it would do yet, as he had yet to test it thoroughly. A relatively new bot to the base, Perceptor, was helping out the absent-minded bot.

"Perceptor, what are the readings" Jack asked, curious to see if anything was coming through.

"Nothing. This thing you created is not even on" Percy stated, a bit puzzled as to how this crazy bot could be called a scientist as nothing here seemed to make any sense.

"It's not on?" Jack asked, quizzically.

"No…. it has no power to turn it on" Percy said. If he could have, he would have rolled his optics.

"Blast it, something's wrong" Jack barked, upset that once again something had gone wrong..

"Yeah, well hopefully, that something won't blow us up this time" Percy stated, hoping soon he could have his own place to experiment in and preferably away from this walking disaster. Percy told himself that the next day he needed to speak with Prime about a space for the microscope's own experiments.

Elsewhere, Wingspan was fooling around with his friend, Hot Rod. They always liked to hang around each other, especially when Jazz, Prowl, Mirage, Illusion, and Optimus were not around. Mirage and Illusion weren't so bad, as they though it was cute how the two seemed to get along. Optimus wasn't a big deal as he usually was busy, though he could give them a hard time on occasion, but that was when they were slacking. The big thing was to keep Jazz and Prowl from seeing it. Wingspan knew they would flip, but he hoped that soon, it wouldn't matter. And unknown to wingspan, it soon wouldn't matter as Wingspan would soon be a seeker and a seeker in full blown heat.


	25. Chapter 25

Deep in the con base, Starscream had been locked away in a room. His defiance was the reason he was locked in here. His brothers Skywarp and Thundercracker couldn't even visit him. Megatron had threatened to offline them if they helped their brother. At this point, neither was willing to risk being offlined to help their brother out. They hated it, but having seen how Megatron killed others, they figured they had better fall in line. Megatron was pleased that for now, Starscream wouldn't be causing problems. Megatron continued to make his move to conquer Cybertron. The only thing standing in his way was the Autobots and it infuriated him to no end.

Elsewhere, in the base of the Autobots, Orion and Hide watched as young Bee carefully napped with his nephews. Even though only days old, it was already obvious that the two bigger ones were careful to guard the smaller bot. Orion smiled. Hide hugged his mate gently. Orion purred into the hug. This was what he had truly longed for – a loving family of his own. HE was just sad it took a civil war to bring this change about.

"So, you been ta Ratchet yet?" Hide asked softly, having been concerned with Orion throwing up every morning. Hide suspected what the truth might be, but he wanted to see if his guess was actually correct.

"Well, I went to the med bay, but I saw First Aid instead of Ratchet, as Ratchet was off duty after binging on high grade" Orion said, toying with his mate a bit.

Hide chuckled a bit at that. "Good ol' Ratchet. When he gets stressed, he goes right for the high grade. But anyway, what did Aid have ta say?" Hide asked. He knew he would have to tease Ratchet later about it, as he always did.

"We're going to be parents…. again" Orion replied, seeing if the old weapon's specialist could figure it out.

Hide smiled a huge smile. "You sparked?"

"Yes…. With just one" Orion said, hoping he didn't disappoint his mate. He looked to his mate, hoping Hide was happy.

"AS long as the sparkling and mother are healthy, I don't care about numbers" Hide replied, making Orion feel better. Hide kissed his mate softly.

Orion was truly relieved. "Thanks, that means so much."

"Hey, I have an idea. How's bout I take these three to Jazz and then I can allow you to show me just how much it means to ya" Hide said, a mischievous sparkle in his optic. He wanted to have some private berth time with his mate.

"Alright…. Baby doll" Orion replied, already priming for what was to come once the little ones were safely elsewhere. Hide took off as only he could and brought the three little ones to Jazz. Jazz readily accepted the little ones. And while Jazz commed Mirage to alert the bot about the little ones being moved, Hide headed home. He wanted to give his mate a true chance to show his happiness.

At home, Orion was already prepared and had even brought out a few old things from when he had been a pleasure bot, hoping that Hide would be willing to let the old pleasure bot play his former role. Orion was trying not to touch himself as he anxiously awaited the return of his mate. It was difficult but somehow he managed to do it.

Hide moved as fast as his bad hip allowed him to. The story that had led to his bad hip injury was one he never forgot. He had been cleaning a weapon one time when he was young and it accidentally went off and hit his hip joint. All Ratchet could do was basically reset it each time it failed. Because of Hide's unique build and the war, a replacement was hard to come by and so Hide just worked around his bad hip and didn't let it stop him. He soon made it to the door of his quarters and went inside, closing the door behind him.

He headed straight for their berth room, knowing his mate would be there and ready for him. Once he went in, he was surprised to see Orion positioned just so on the berth. "Hey baby…see something you like?" Orion asked in his most sensual pleasure bot voice, moving his body sensually as well. Hide was shocked at first. He hadn't quite expected this, but then he realized what was going on. Orion planned to show his mate his happiness by this time acting like the pleasure bot he used to be. The only difference was that this time, the only bot Orion planned to seduce was his mate. Ironhide let Orion do as he wanted. Orion was so happy and both enjoyed the berth time.

After coming down from overload and with cooling fans kicking on, Orion softly nuzzled his mate. "See how happy I am that not only am I you mate, but also that you'd be willing to have a family with me?"

Hide nuzzled back. "I do, my love, I do." And with that, the two snuggled up close and fell into a peaceful recharge. Orion was a little worried about how Optimus would react to the news, as adopting bee was one thing. Orion could only pray that Optimus would be happy with having more siblings.

Meanwhile, in the Prime's office, Optimus sat at the desk, studying plans that had come from spies who had gotten information about Con movements. Optimus didn't realize that some of these plans had been obtained by his mate and his mate's twin, as they had the advantage of illusionary abilities. Had Optimus known, he would have been more careful about sending the bots on missions. So far, during the missions, Mirage had remained unhurt, so Optimus had no clue. Optimus was not yet feeling the effects of what had happened when he and his mate last spark merged. He felt like his normal self, at least for now.


	26. Chapter 26

So far, only Primus knew Optimus was sparked. Primus kept most signs and symptoms of being sparked away from Optimus for now as Primus knew he needed his Prime to keep fighting those who wanted to destroy Cybertron. The only sign that Primus allowed was the Prime to feel slightly needier than previously, but Primus knew Mirage would chalk that up to the Prime being stressed from battle and not the growing sparklings. And so, Optimus continued being in battle after battle, getting injured but most injuries seemed to be minor. Ratchet and First Aid seemed to chalk that up to the power of the Matrix, neither thinking of scanning Optimus for anything further. They would later be in for a shock.

Meanwhile, at the con base, Starscream was sick. Oh, he was sick, as the little ones growing inside him were causing all kinds of complications. He needed more energon than he was receiving but Megatron gave no heed to that. That was only part of the reason that Starscream was sick. The other part was that since he was rapidly changed from a seekerlings to an adult, his body wasn't fully ready to be sparked. And his systems were rebelling against him because of it. He would be lucky if he didn't lose his spark, much less, the little ones he carried. This made him all the angrier towards Megatron. Megatron had no idea that this punishment was backfiring big time.

Back at the Autobot base, Ratchet had gotten sick of seeing all the injured come in from battle. He didn't like it. He knew they had no choice but to fight, but still. And so, finally done for the day and leaving First Aid in charge, Ratchet headed out to the rec room. He was planning on binging on high grade again as this was a little too much for him.

He reached the rec room and unaware that he was not alone, he went straight for the high grade energon. He drank three cubes before he began acting like a drunkard. Wheeljack, who had been in the rec room, saw the scene. He didn't care for it, as he knew that much high grade was bad for a bot's systems. Jack, who had grown an affinity for the medic thanks to being in the med bay a lot, soon approached.

"Ratchet, you know that's stuff is bad for you" Jack said, startling the medic.

"I…*hic* *hic* … I know….but *hic* so much *hic* destruction" Ratchet muttered drunkenly. He had been startled, but he was too drunk to do much else.

"I think you should come with me and not drink anymore high grade" Jack uttered, leading the medic out of the rec room. He needed to help the medic get sober. Ratchet, feeling something in his old spark, allowed the absent-minded scientist to lead the medic elsewhere.

Jack took the drunken medic to a shower bay first and cleaned the bot off. Ratchet, with all his sensors running on high, was getting turned on. He was starting to allow his spark and emotions take over. Jack felt the heat coming off the bot, but being a bit dense, didn't realize that it was from being riled up. The shower was soon finished, but Ratchet was just getting started. He made his move on the scientist.

Jack was stunned when he was kissed and rubbed by the medic. "Ratchet?" Jack asked, not wanting to take advantage of the bot, especially when the medic was still sobering up.

"Come on…" Ratchet begged, his systems so hot and needing to interface.

"No Ratchet, I will not take you while you are drunk" Jack said with emphasis. He was not going to take advantage of the bot. Instead, Jack decided to go back to his quarters with Ratchet and then "lock" Ratchet to an extra berth the scientist had in his quarters. He would wait for Ratchet to cool down and sober up. Ratchet was not happy, as he wanted to interface, at least the drunken side of him did. Jack refused.

After several hours, Ratchet came around. He found himself in a strange room and unable to move much. HE didn't like it and he called out. "Get me out of here" the medic called out.

Jack raced into the room. "Ratchet? You ok?"

"I can't move and I don't know where I am at or how I got here" Ratchet stated, only somewhat relieved when he saw Wheeljack.

"I had to lock you to the berth. I found you in the rec room, drunk. I brought you to the showers, hoping it would sober you up, but it didn't. You…. You wanted me to interface, whatever that means, with you, but I refused. I am not going to take advantage of a drunk bot" Jack mentioned, and Ratchet turned even brighter red. HE hadn't realized he had been that drunk.

"I did that?" ratchet asked, sickened to hear what he had tried to get the bot to do.

"Yes" Wheeljack answered.

"I see. Well, can you at least unlock me from this berth now?" the medic asked, obviously sober and trying to process things, even though his splitting processor ache made it difficult.

Jack did as asked. "There you are" he said, releasing the medic.

"Thank you" Ratchet stated, before looking at the scientist. Ratchet once again felt something in his spark. Like this bot had been made for the medic. "You know something, Jack, you are a looker."

"What?" Jack asked, always so focused on his discoveries that he never really had thought of much else.

Ratchet chuckled. "You are cute when you are confused" Ratchet said before giving the scientist a kiss. Jack blushed at the soft touch. Ratchet smiled. He soon left, hoping that soon, he could make Wheeljack his mate.

Meanwhile, Mirage was getting a bit worn out. His mate's needing to face more often combined with watching the two new little ones was wearing the illusionist a little thin. He needed a break. And so, when an opportunity came to run yet another dangerous mission, Mirage decided to take it. He left his twins with his twin Illusion and headed out. Mirage easily obtained the data that he was sent for, but this time, he wasn't lucky in another department, as this time, his mission ended up getting him injured. Optimus would now find out which bot had been most instrumental in getting the Con plans and Optimus wasn't going to like it.


	27. Chapter 27

Mirage was in the med bay. He had several blast wounds to his sides and back. Some were deeper than others, but thankfully, none were life-threatening. Mirage was miffed. He was hurting and now, thanks to that blasted seeker that got the illusionist from behind, Optimus would realize who his best secret stealer was. Ratchet, once all the wounds were addressed called Optimus to the med bay.

Optimus made his way, unaware so far, that he had been called for his mate. Optimus got many calls to come to the med bay, as Ratchet needed to medically clear bots before they could return to battle. Optimus headed in and was not happy to see his mate being the bot he needed to see.

"What is this?" he demanded to know, unsure why he had not been told it was his mate that he needed to see.

"Stop it, Optimus" Mirage said, pain evident but wanting his mate to cool off. He also didn't want Optimus' mood to change Optimus into Orion Pax.

"Mirage was injured" Ratchet said matter-of-factly.

"How" Optimus asked, unaware of the dangerous mission his mate had been on.

"I was on a mission, a mission to gather intel from the cons" Mirage replied before Ratchet could answer. "I took it because I needed something other to do besides watch our sparklings and Illusion wanted a break."

Optimus was stunned. Only now did he see where all the information was coming from. And while it was helpful, it hurt and angered him that his mate was going out on all these missions without telling him. "You were upset with me for going into battle without telling you and yet…. You go off and do this, without telling me" Optimus uttered, making Mirage feel slightly guilty.

"I wanted to prove I could be a good spy and intel gatherer. I knew you would never let me go if you knew" Mirage replied. He felt bad as he could see the hurt in his mate's optics.

"Optimus, Mirage and Illusion were trained in by Jazz. They have been running missions for quite some time. This is the first time I have seen either hurt from a mission and I check them each time they return" Ratchet said, hoping to cool the Prime off, neither realizing that only part of this reaction was due to what had occurred. The other was that the Prime was having a slight mood swing. This was too much.

"So when can he come home?" Optimus asked the medic, wanting to be home with Mirage.

"He can go now. He is all repaired and fully energized" Ratchet stated. He knew Optimus was the former pleasure bot but let it be. After all, good medics kept secrets.

Mirage climbed off the berth and headed home with his mate. Mirage could feel how upset Optimus was with this whole thing and so Mirage remained quiet as they headed back to their quarters.

Once inside, Mirage noticed something was off. "You ok, Love?" Mirage asked.

"I…I think so" Optimus replied, though it started to sound less and less like Optimus and more and more like little Orion Pax.

"Does my sweet bot need someone to snuggle with?" Mirage asked, in a little too much pain to interface at the moment, but sensing the little Orion needed to snuggle and be reminded he was loved deeply.

Optimus' optics brightened quite a bit at that. He smiled a hug smile and nodded vigorously. He did need some snuggle time with his mate. He felt like he had needed it yesterday, still unaware that it was due to being sparked. Mirage smiled, laid down on the berth and then opened his arms up to invite his mate to snuggle. IT didn't take the big bot long to rush into the embrace and snuggle next to his mate. This was exactly what the Prime needed. Mirage rubbed his mate's back gently. Optimus purred at the soft touch and soon fell into recharge, Mirage joining him not long after. Illusion had already told Mirage that they could come get the sparklings whenever they were ready.

Meanwhile, deep in the Decepticon base, Starscream was about to go insane. He needed to be out of this room. It felt like it was closing in on him. He was becoming delusional and hallucinating. Thundercracker, worried about his brother, carefully approached Megatron.

"Lord Megatron" Thundercracker carefully addressed the leader.

"What do you want, Thundercracker?" Megatron asked, his voice sharp and evil sounding.

"I wish…. Permission to transport my brother to the med bay for a check-up, sir" TC said, hoping that Megatron would grant the simple request. TC could sense his triple brother's craziness.

Megatron angrily glared at the bot making the request, but then remembered he had forced a sparking on the foul-mouthed seeker captain. "Permission granted, but upon completion of check-up I demand a full report and Starscream be return to his chamber where he is kept."

TC nodded and immediately went to find Skywarp so that both could escort their triplet brother to the med bay. TC figured he couldn't keep his brother out of the room, but at least with a check-up, Starscream would be able to be out of the room for a bit and may regain some sense of sanity. Skywarp and TC went to get their brother, knowing he would be in terrible shape. Both escorted the half-crazed bot to the med bay. Neither liked what they saw. There only hope was that Hook could convince that being locked up was bad for the developing sparklings.

Meanwhile, back at the Autobot base, things seemed to be running smoothly even though the Prime was deep in recharge. Jazz was overseeing things and was pleased that bots who before would never have even spoken to each other were now working together so that all survived. Jazz was glad that the class system had pretty much been destroyed and that all were now seen as equals, the way Primus had created them. He just hoped the cons wouldn't attack anytime soon, as the Autobots were still recovering from the last battle.


	28. Chapter 28

A couple months down the road, Optimus felt like something was off about his systems. He tried to scan himself, but never having been taught how to do a thorough self-scan, he didn't catch what was growing inside of him. True he had fought in many battles over the last months and had helped in defeating the Cons each and every time. Still, something was nagging at him. And he couldn't place it. He also knew it had nothing to do with Mirage, as after the episode a couple months back, Mirage informed Optimus of every mission that the bot was sent on, seeking "approval" and most of the time Optimus gave it as it was for the cause.

Optimus decided it was time to go to the dreaded med bay. He put down the data pad he had been reading which had been written by the new security bot Red Alert. Optimus knew one thing, the bot was sure observant, paranoid, yet observant. Still, Optimus left his office and headed out. He hoped Ratchet was in.

At the med bay, First Aid was tending to things, as Ratchet had gone off to chat with Wheeljack for a bit. If Aid didn't know any better, he'd figure the old medic would go over there to talk and come back bonded and/or sparked. And as Aid was sending out the last bot he had been tending to, Optimus walked in. It was a good thing to.

"Prime? Is something wrong?" First aid asked, knowing Optimus usually didn't come in here voluntarily.

"My systems feel a bit off. I can't quite place it. I've been injured before, but it doesn't feel like an injury. I've had viruses before and it doesn't feel like that. I just feel off" Prime stated in a serious tone.

"Well, maybe it is in your head?" Aid asked, curious.

"No… I don't think so" Prime replied, a bit indignant at the implication of the question. Aid sighed and went to go get a certain machine. Prime didn't recognize it. "What is that?"

"It is a deep scanner. I need to scan your systems to see if we can find an anomaly" Aid stated, concerned. "Now up on a berth."

Optimus did as he was told, as he knew the one place he knew nothing was the med bay and so he followed what he was told. Aid scanned. Nothing unusual turned up at first, except the presence of the Matrix, which Aid knew would show up. Aid scanned lower and lower, and then came a sudden beeping of the machine indicating something in the abdominal area. It beeped 5 times. Aid was puzzled as there was no way the scanner should have beeped. He checked it for malfunctions and found none. He scanned again and go the same thing. He didn't like what he saw and so he commed Ratchet.

"Ratchet, get your aft down here, we got an issue with the Prime" Aid stated, knowing calling like that would bring the older medic. Ratchet, asking for a rain check with Jack, soon ran to the med bay. An issue with the Prime was not to be taken lightly.

Ratchet soon burst into the med bay. "What is going on here?" Ratchet demanded to know seeing that Optimus looked unharmed and pretty well.

"I used this deep scanner, ratchet, and it beeped 5 times over the abdomen" Aid stated, knowing full well no Prime he had ever heard of had carried sparklings. "I checked the machine and it is not malfunctioning."

Ratchet was worried and so he checked the machine over and then did a scan as well, followed by another. Each time same with the exact same result. Optimus was growing worried. HE didn't like the way things were going. "I as your Prime demand to know what is going on" he angrily stated, worried about what they were not telling him.

"Prime, I am not sure how this happened or what to tell you, but our scanner indicates that you are…. Sparked with 5 sparklings" Ratchet stated, completely baffled by the results. Optimus, stunned by the results, passed out and his spark sent an emergency pulse to his spark mate hoping Mirage would come soon.

Mere seconds later, Mirage burst into the med, appearing angry. 'What is wrong with my mate? He pulsed a distress signal to me. I demand to know as his mate what is going on" Mirage stated, he deep blue optics leaving no room for arguing. The medics had been slightly caught off guard when Mirage entered, but soon recovered.

"I am not sure how this happened, Mirage, as it is unprecedented. Your mate and our Prime has sparked" Ratchet said, gauging for the reaction.

"sparked? SPARKED!?" Mirage replied, confused. He didn't think his mate could spark as he was the Prime.

"yes, and he is sparked with 5. We have no idea how his systems have hidden this so long, as he is at least three months along. I can no longer medically let him fight or lead the troops" Ratchet replied, just as concerned as Mirage. "We also don't know how his body will handle this since he contains the Matrix. This will be a learning curve for all of us."

Mirage nodded. Granted, he wished he had heard sooner and in a better fashion, but if the medics were even stunned, it meant no one had known. "I… I am sorry if I overreacted" Mirage said, feeling bad about being angry at the medic.

"Forgiven. It is understandable. Mates are highly connected and when something happens to one, the other often senses it or feels it. I understand your reaction, especially if your mate pulsed a distress signal to you. Right now, Optimus will need all our help, for if Megatron discovers this, Optimus may not live to spark these little ones" Ratchet somberly told Mirage. Mirage nodded. He would do everything in his power to allow Optimus to be independent and help but also remain safe. Things had just taken a turn for the crazier.


	29. Chapter 29

Mirage was still trying to process everything as he watched Optimus sleep in their shared berth. He didn't know what to do, as when Mirage was sparked, it was easy to hide and deal with. No one would miss Mirage fighting. But with Optimus it was different. Optimus was the leader and a strong fighter. Optimus was also starting to more often show signs of his former profession thanks to being sparked and that worried Mirage too. Would Optimus still be accepted as leader if they knew he was a former pleasure bot? The question weighed heavily on Mirage's mind.

He wondered who he should talk to, as Jazz and Prowl didn't know anything about it and he didn't want to tell them. Orion, Optimus's mother, might be helpful but Mirage didn't know if Hide knew. Mirage felt a bit alone and unsure, though he hid it from Optimus.

Slowly, Optimus woke. "Love?" he called softly to Mirage.

"I am here, beloved" Mirage replied lovingly, hoping Optimus didn't sense what Mirage was feeling at the moment.

But Optimus did. "What's wrong?" Optimus asked, his sweet blue optics leaving no room for lying or trying to hide what needed to be said.

"I… I'm worried about you being the sparked one, my beloved" Mirage fessed up. "I am worried that Megatron with find out and do away with you. I am also worried that while being sparked, you have been dropping more and more into your former role, and while I don't mind it in the room, I fear your leadership nay suffer if others know."

Optimus was a bit stunned. He hadn't even realized that or even thought of that. When Mirage explained, Optimus realized that while worry did nothing, Mirage had some valid concerns. "We will just have to trust Primus, my love. He will help us get through this" Optimus said, trusting Primus.

Mirage nodded. Optimus was right. "I still want you to be careful" Mirage said softly with a smile.

"I will. Now be a dear and help me out of this bed, I am a bit stiff" Optimus replied, smile on his face. Mirage did as asked.

Meanwhile, at the Decepticon base, Starscream was getting closer and closer to sparking the brats that had been forced upon him and he was getting more and more out of control thanks to being locked away. Megatron didn't realize it, but Starscream was becoming more and more defiant and more and more aggressive from being trapped in the room. The only thing that kept Starscream sane was his brothers visits when they took him to the med bay. Otherwise, Starscream would be even more dangerous and unpredictable.

This day saw Skywarp coming for his triplet brother. Starscream had already started leaking oil and was in massive pain, but had no way of communicating it other than the triplet bond. Skywarp quickly came to see if things were as Starscream had pulsed. Once inside the room and seeing that things were as described, Warp transferred himself and Starscream to the med bay instantly. Hook was shocked until he realized that the screeching seeker was sparking. Starscream was cussing and swearing in every language he knew as pain wracked his systems. The seekerlings were preparing to come. Hook, for all the times he had checked over the seeker, had no idea how many brats the seeker carried.

Starscream let out a strangled scream as the first of the litter was coming forth. IT was a black seeker with silver flares on its wings. The mechling looked angry as it screeched from being out of the warm place. The next in the bunch soon followed, seekerlings wings painfully stretching the seeker captain. This one was also black, but had streaks of purple down its back. IT was also a mechling. The next mech, which soon followed, was red with black flares on its legs. And while hook thought things were done there, they weren't. There was still one more sparkling that had hidden behind her brothers. She soon came shooting out, her gun alt mode leaving no doubt who her sire was. Her coloration was a deep shade of blue with gold markings. She also had fangs. Starscream, exhausted, passed out. Warp was more concerned with his brother while Hook commed Megatron.

"Four healthy sparklings, my lord" Hook informed Megatron.

"Four? Four?" Megatron asked, pissed at being interrupted in planning.

"Yes, three mech seekers and a femme gunformer" Hook replied. Though unseen, Megatron smirked. Seekers were deadly and femmes could be deadlier.

"I will be down there soon. I do not want Starscream there. DO what you must, but he will not have those sparklings, they are mine to deal with" Megatron said.

"Yes, my lord" Hook replied and did as he was asked. Starscream was kicked out of the med bay without the little ones and sent back to his brothers, as he was too weka right now to be much of a threat.

Meanwhile, back at the Autobot base, Mirage and Optimus decided to talk to Orion and Hide, hoping that they could help. Orion was a bit surprised to see them, as Optimus was usually pretty busy.

"To what do we owe this pleasure, Prime?" Orion asked as he greeted his son at the door.

"My mate and I have some questions and would like to speak with you" Optimus said and Orion invited the pair in closing the door.

Orion led the pair in to living area where Hide was, little Bee asleep elsewhere.

"Hey Mirage, Optimus" Hide said with a smile. "What brings you by?"

"Well…Optimus is sparked and…." Mirage started before he was interrupted by hide.

"Sparked? I though Primes didn't get sparked" Hide stated.

"Well I am" Optimus stated matter-of-factly, a little annoyed, though it was sort of cute as it was coming out sounding more like little Orion Pax. Orion was a bit alarmed.

"Yes, he is sparked, with 5 and I have some concerns. My biggest one is how to stop him from falling back into his former persona at the drop of a hat. I fear his leadership will suffer if others know" Mirage stated, a bit wary of hide.

"Mirage, I know Optimus' secret and have been keeping it along with my mate and his mother Orion. I am not sure how we can help with this, as he can't stay in his room. We will just have to be extra vigilant and help him out as much as we can" Hided stated, making Mirage feel better.

"As Ratchet said, this will be a learning curve for us all" Optimus stated, snuggling close to his mate as they sat and chatted. Mirage was glad their older twins were at Jazz and Prowl's for the time being. Now they could talk and maybe think of some ideas.


	30. Chapter 30

Meanwhile, Jack and Ratchet had gotten closer. The old medic could see himself with this bot and the two had bonded, neither aware that Ratchet was now sparked with twins. Ratchet was too busy in the med bay to pay attention to himself. He worked hard especially since the ongoing battles left many wounded.

This day saw him scanning Orion. Orion had changed to be a more confidant bot now.

"You are right on track" Ratchet stated.

"Thanks. I am glad you are our medic" Orion said, smile on his face.

"Really?" Ratchet asked, as it wasn't often he heard that someone was glad he was the medic.

"Yes. Because you helped me when I needed it most and you treated me well even when you knew I was the lowest of society. You saved…" Orion stopped short, wondering if the medic knew or not.

Ratchet, seeing that no one else was around, responded, "I know I saved our Prime." Orion looked to the bot, worried about the medic knowing the truth. "A medic hides many secrets, Orion, and that includes past history. You need not be concerned that others will find out from me."

Orion smiled, in obvious relief. "Thank you." Ratchet soon discharged Orion and then went about straightening out the med bay.

Elsewhere, Prowl was feeling in a funk. His large abdomen now stuck out and it bothered him. It wasn't because he was big. He could deal with that. It was just extremely sensitive and he seemed to bump it into everything. And anytime he bumped it, even gently, he felt a rush of pleasure hit him and it left him vulnerable. He tried hard to not bump into things, but his gait was a little off kilter from being sparked.

Thankfully, Jazz was well aware of the issue and did his best to help Prowl. Prowl really appreciated Jazz's help, though it didn't always show. Jazz knew Prowl didn't like showing his emotions outside their quarters, so he understood. He made it work. Prowl just hoped that soon, this side effect would go away.

And yet elsewhere on the base, Optimus was now feeling the full effect of being sparked. Mirage helped Optimus as the bot purged his tanks and had dangerous mood swings. The hardest part for mirage was keeping up with his mate's constant need for interfacing. Mirage, having never been a pleasure bot, had no idea that bots who grew up like that had such an incredible need to interface when sparked.

"Love?" Optimus asked, sensing something was amiss. "What is wrong?"

Mirage sighed. "I Love you, Optimus, love you very much, but I can't interface with you all the time. I have the sparklings to take care of and I have missions I need to fulfill. I can't keep up with you and all that. I am so tired" Mirage fessed up, his dull optics showing he really was tired. He felt Optimus needed to know the truth.

Optimus felt bad, really bad. He didn't want to hurt his mate. "I… I'm sorry" Optimus uttered, saddened, optics showing how bad he felt even though he sometimes felt little control over the needs of his systems.

Mirage looked to his mate and saw the hurt. He didn't want Optimus to feel bad. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Being sparked, you can't always control what your systems need. Maybe we can find a way where we won't have to physically interface but we can still meet your needs" Mirage replied, trying to cheer Optimus back up.

Optimus smiled and felt better at hearing that. "Well, all we can do is try." Mirage nodded. They would try harder to make sure all needs were met.

Over at the con base, Megatron was doing some calculations regarding the newest Con sparklings. He hated sparklings with a passion but he needed soldiers. He was calculating how soon he could change the brats into adults. That way he wouldn't have to deal with sparkling issues.

He was also calculating something else. Word had floated to the Con leader that his nemesis was spark bonded, thanks to a new con recruit named Soundwave who had telepathy. Soundwave had unknowingly penetrated Optimus' processor and found the link. Megatron hoped maybe by capturing the Prime's mate he could bring the Prime to his knees. The planning would have to be very thorough if Megatron took this route, but in his mind, anything that brought down the Prime was worth the risk.

Meanwhile, also in the Con base, Starscream was once again strong and defiant. He hated Megatron and the Prime. He wanted to see both destroyed. He wanted to destroy Megatron because of what the foul bot have done to him. He wanted to destroy the Prime because he didn't know any better, as he had been programmed to hate the Prime. For now, though, he would bide his time. After all, he thought, a ruler carefully lays his plans before making a move. He knew if he could destroy both, then he could be ruler. The thought made him gleam with pride. He would show that Megatron. Starscream would soon be known as the deadliest bot out there, or so he truly believed especially if his brothers stood beside him.

Meanwhile, back at the base of the Autobots, Illusion and Wingspan were talking. Well, Wingspan was asking questions and Illusion was listening.

"Illusion, I don't know what to do" Wingspan stated as he told about his feelings for Hot Rod.

"I think you should talk to him and honestly tell him how you feel" Illusion suggested. "If he can't see what a great bot you are, he doesn't deserve you."

Wingspan looked to the other bot. "Really?"

"Yes, really, now go, before you waste any more time hemming and hawing about it" Illusion encouraged. Wingspan nodded and took off. Illusion only hoped that Hot Rod felt the same way about Spanner as spanner did about Hot rod or the young seeker was going to be crushed.


	31. Chapter 31

In his quarters, Optimus was struggling. The developing sparklings kept him wound up and horny. He knew he was alone for now, as Mirage had gone on a mission. He hoped his mate got back. It was only now that he understood how his mate felt each time Optimus went into battle and Mirage had to wait. He didn't like it. And he especially hated the fact that he couldn't even leave his room at the moment, not because he was banned from leaving, but because he couldn't get out of his former persona until he overloaded a few times. He did the only thing he felt he could – call his mother.

"Orion here…" Orion answered, not sure who had commed him.

"Mama, its me" Optimus said, sounding like Orion Pax.

"What do you need my little one?" Orion asked, unsure where this was going.

"My…mate is out and…. I can't be Optimus right now" Optimus replied in his sweet sounding needy voice.

Orion was deeply concerned. Mirage wasn't due back for a while and Orion knew it, as Mirage had told the bot. Orion only knew of one solution that might work- using himself to help his son. "Mama is going to come over for a visit little one" Orion told Optimus, Hide overhearing things on that end.

"Thanks, mama. Please hurry" Optimus responded, sounding too cute.

"Be there soon" Orion replied gently.

Orion carefully raced to the quarters of the Prime. He knew he had access to it, as Optimus had made it so, but that didn't mean he could be careless. He soon made his way inside the quarters and saw the sad sight of his son being so needy. HE knew it wasn't Mirage's fault. Mirage was trying hard to satiate his mate, but couldn't do it alone.

"I am here, little one" Orion stated softly. "Let mama help."

Optimus smiled, "yes, mama. Teach me." Orion knew at that, Optimus was set back to a stage where Orion had taught his son the ropes. Orion sighed, hoping his "lesson" would reset his son a bit.

"Here, let mama show you" Orion said, and he "taught" his son a few things, causing Optimus to overload several times, to the point where Optimus crashed into stasis lock for a few minutes. Orion was worried, as he had never seen something like this before, but then, no pleasure bot had ever carried so many sparklings before.

Soon, Optimus came to. He groaned, sounding more like Optimus and less like Orion Pax. He was low on energon from all the needed overloads. "Are you feeling better, my little one?" Orion asked, using the "little one" to test out where Optimus was.

"I am feeling better, thank you mama" Optimus replied, starting to sound more like Optimus, though not quite fully.

Orion was relieved. "I am glad you feel better, but you have got to learn not to wait so long to at least service yourself" Orion informed his son. "Believe me, when I carried you, there were times I had to do self-service between customers just to not get too horny." Optimus nodded, it was all he could do.

Several hours later, with sparklings still with other bots, Mirage didn't return as expected. He was due and yet he was not here. Jazz had checked everything and his adopted son was nowhere to be found. Jazz was worried, as he feared Mirage may have been captured by the cons. In a sense, he was right, but in a sense, he was not.

Elsewhere, in a dark cave, the seeker trio had captured Mirage. And while they didn't know he was the mate of the Prime, they did know he was a hot piece of aft and he had illusionary abilities that they desired for their own devious schemes. Mirage was bound and gagged. He looked at the three.

"See, I told you he was hot" Skywarp said, having had an optic on the bot for a while.

"That he is" agreed Thundercracker. He was enjoying this chance to defile an Autobot.

"Why are we still talking about this? Let's compete our task" Starscream stated with a dangerous hiss. Mirage didn't like where this was going. But he couldn't do anything as all his comm lines had been turned off, his mouth was covered, and Optimus wasn't responding to the bond. Mirage feared his fate. He feared that he would be slaughtered. But the seeker trio had something worse in store. Mirage only realized what it was when he felt a touch on his groin plating. He wanted to fight, but was outnumbered and then was forcibly taken, resulting in the illusionist carrying triplets from the foul trine.

Once they were done with their quarry, they dumped him unknowingly close to the Autobot base. They planned to pick up their bundles once the time came.

Jazz, having been worried and having gone out, found his adoptive son passed out cold near the base. Jazz knew more had gone on as Mirage's groin plating was still open. Jazz was angry but instead of trying to figure out who did this, Jazz knew his first priority was getting Mirage to the med bay. And as Jazz brought Mirage in, he commed Optimus.

"Prime, you need to come to the med bay. It is urgent as it regards your mate" Jazz stated, hoping that would get the bot to come.

Orion overheard the comm and helped his son get up out of the berth and to the med bay. Optimus was shocked and appalled and what he saw. He was also very angry.

"What happened?" he demanded to know.

"Not sure by who, but I believe Mirage was raped" Jazz stated, as Ratchet scanned the bot.

Optimus was livid. No one hurt his mate. "Megatron will pay for this!" he uttered dangerously, protective of his mate and from a slight mood swing. Jazz and Orion stood by, knowing that they might be needed to keep the Prime calm. Ratchet continued to scan and repair things. No one yet knew Mirage was carrying little ones from this encounter. Right now, all just hoped Mirage would be ok.


	32. Chapter 32

Mirage came to in the med bay, surrounded by Optimus, Jazz, Orion, Ratchet and Wingspan. Mirage felt a bit uneasy as they all stared at him. They only realized that he felt uncomfortable when he began to flicker in and out of sight. Optimus knew of this, as did Jazz and Orion, and they backed off a bit. Ratchet had heard of such things but hadn't seen a bot do this right in front of him.

"settle down Mirage, you are safe" Ratchet stated matter-of-factly. He always did whenever he was in the med bay talking to other bots.

"Safe? You really think I am safe?" Mirage asked, still thinking of the three seekers and causing himself to shudder violently.

Optimus could only watch in horror as he mate violently shook from thinking of what had happened. Optimus was not allowed to intervene due to being sparked. Ratchet feared a strike from Mirage's arms or legs could hurt the sparklings growing inside the prime. Ratchet finally gave a sedative and Mirage calmed down.

"Mirage?" Optimus asked, optics wishing to talk to Mirage in another form.

"I…I think…. I think I will be ok" Mirage stated. He still was a bit touchy, but he seemed much better.

"Mirage, you are officially off duty" Ratchet mentioned, "I can't let you fight while you are…"

"While I am what? Shaky? Unreliable? Violent?" Mirage asked, not liking the pause.

"I can't let you fight just like I can't let Optimus fight. You are carrying the sparklings of your rapists" Ratchet informed them. He didn't like how it sounded, but he had to tell them.

"So both of them are sparked?" Orion asked, confused. Jazz just listened, confused as well.

"Yes, and they will need our help to keep the Autobot cause going until they can both medically return to duty" Ratchet stated.

All nodded. While this wasn't the greatest news, it wasn't entirely bad either. Optimus, thinking from his other persona, figured that with Mirage sparked too, he would have an easier time getting satisfied from his needing cravings while addressing Mirage's cravings. Optimus, not allowed to carry his mate, escorted his mate home.

Once inside, Mirage looked to his mate. "Beloved?" Mirage asked softly, fearing that Optimus would be angry. Mirage had told Optimus that he was going this time and that he had to bring back intel, but Optimus had begged Mirage not to go.

"Love, it does no good for me to be mad at you. I am angry at the cons for taking advantage of you while you were merely trying to help our cause" Optimus replied, trying so hard not to change into little Orion.

Mirage looked to his mate. "I…I want….to keep them" Mirage stated, thinking of the little ones growing in him.

"I would never force you to give them up or harm them in any way" Optimus stated, wanting Mirage to know that Optimus meant it. Mirage looked to his mate, wanting to see if Optimus truly meant what he said. What Mirage saw was that Optimus meant every word of it. Mirage was happy and relieved. HE still wasn't ready to interface, but just knowing his mate supported him meant so much.

"I…I can't interface right now, baby, but would you care to snuggle?" Mirage asked, knowing it would lure out little Orion Pax who absolutely loved to snuggle close.

"Coming!" Optimus almost shouted, eager to snuggle close to his mate. Optimus was careful as he climbed into their shared berth and then snuggled as close as he could, his sweet innocent looking optics staring right into Mirage's loving optics. Both felt loved and wanted and soon drifted off.

Meanwhile, having left their babysitter behind, Peacekeeper and Flasher were crawling as they wandered around the base. This was all so new to them and they wanted to explore as much of it as possible. They crawled to the rec room, hoping no one would notice that they were gone, especially since the youngling who had been watching them had fallen asleep.

Both were amazed at the size of the rec room as they crawled around. This looked like a fun place to play as well as hide. They tried climbing up on some of the furniture, but it was too high, and so they were satisfied with crawling around on the floor, looking for things to get into. Flasher, seeing a shiny object, went in one direct, while keeper, seeing something that looked like food, went in another direction.

Flasher soon arrived at his chosen item. He didn't know what it was, but it looked shiny and just small enough for him to chew on. On the other side of the room, Keeper had found a small cube of energon sitting on the floor. He didn't know it, but this was neither sparkling approved energon or regular energon. This was high grade energon that had not been cleaned up from one time when Ratchet had gone on a high energon binge again. Keeper sat on his little aft and tried to open the stubborn container.

And as the sparklings were in the rec room, Hot Rod walked it. He didn't see them at first but something seemed not right. Hot Rod scanned the room. The first sight he saw was Flasher chewing on the metal pin that had been pulled out of what might have been a grenade. Hot Rod raced over and tried to rip the metal object away from the young one. Flasher didn't want to give it up. Hot Rod got that away from Flasher, but as he did, Hot Rod noticed the other sparkling, and keeper was in much greater danger. Keeper had managed to get the lid off the energon and was playing with it and trying to eat it. Hot Rod's spark nearly stopped. Hot Rod quickly grabbed the twins and headed for the med bay.

"Ratchet, I've got sparklings incoming" Hot Rod Commed ahead.

"What? Sparklings?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah…Flasher and Peacekeeper. Looks like they got away from their sitter. Flasher was chewing on a metal rod that looked like a pull pin from a grenade. But Peacekeeper's worse. Peacekeeper got into a cube of high grade energon" Hot Rod shouted, extremely concerned for the little ones.

"Get them here on the double" Ratchet responded. This was the last thing he needed. Two sick sparklings and the parents were already out for the count. Ratchet called Jazz and Orion. HE would need them. He just hoped the little ones could be saved.


	33. Chapter 33

Jazz and Orion came racing to the med bay, knowing full well that if they were being called, something was very wrong. Jazz and Orion arrived at the med bay at the same time. Both were a bit confused when they saw neither Optimus nor Mirage in the med bay.

"What's wrong Ratchet?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah, what is going on?' Orion asked, puzzled.

"Flasher and Peacekeeper are in trouble and I can't reach Optimus and Mirage" Ratchet stated. Flasher was doing slightly better than his twin.

"What happened?" Orion asked, worried about his grand sparklings, though Jazz didn't know that they were Orion's grandsparklings.

"Hot Rod found them alone in the rec room. Flasher found the metal rod of a pull pin from a grenade and put it in his mouth and Peacekeeper got into high grade energon. Now help with these two" Ratchet demanded after explaining things. Jazz went to Flasher and Orion went to Peacekeeper, who looked really sick.

Not knowing what else to do, Orion scooped up little Peacekeeper and began to hold the little one close, careful of the equipment being used to flush the high grade out of the little one's systems. Orion gently sang to the little one. Jazz, although mostly focused on Flasher, could tell Orion had obviously been a mother before.

Jazz scooped up flasher who was receiving a special solution made for sparklings to prevent rust. Flasher liked Jazz and snuggled in close, falling asleep in the saboteur's arms. Jazz rocked the little one as Ratchet went back and forth between the two.

"I hope they survive" Orion utter softly, worried sick about the little ones.

"Me too, or Mirage and Optimus are going to be livid" Jazz replied, knowing that both could have very bad tempers.

"By the way, who was watching them?" Orion queried.

"Sureshot, he's a youngling friend of Wingspan" Jazz answered.

'Uh-oh, where is the sitter now?" Orion asked.

"I don't know" Jazz replied and Ratchet made comms to find where the bot was. Once the bot was located, he was sent to the med bay.

Sureshot didn't realized he had been so tired when he agreed to watch the little ones, but he hadn't seen them in a while and was worried. "What's going..?" Sureshot asked, stopping only when he saw the sparklings he was supposed to be watching in the arms of the two adults and both were being medically treated.

"I can't believe you were so irresponsible" Jazz said angrily.

Sureshot lowered his helm. He felt awful. "I… I fell asleep while watching them. I guess I didn't realize my training had made me that tired or I never would have agreed to watch them" he said, knowing they were still angry and had every right to be. He had seriously messed up and the sparklings had suffered because of it.

"To the brig with you until Optimus let's you out" Jazz said and the young bot did as told.

"Optimus is going to be very upset when he finds out" Orion said after the youngling left.

"I am more worried about how Mirage will react, he is extremely protective over them" Jazz said, "but then mothers always are the ones that are worse."

"I know" Orion replied.

"Orion, if I am not prying, may I ask how you are so close to our Prime and know him so well?" Jazz asked.

Orion looked around the room, it was empty except for Ratchet, Jazz, Orion and the sparklings. Orion sighed. "Optimus is…. My son."

Orion lowered his helm, fearing what was to come. Jazz looked at the bot. "You needn't fear me, my friend. But I still don't understand…" Jazz said. Then Orion remembered that Jazz knew of Orion Pax.

"You remember my son, Orion Pax, right?" Orion asked.

"Yes, he was always such a sweet, kind, and gentle bot. Whatever happened to him?"

"He is…. Now our Prime" Orion whispered softly, though loud enough for Jazz to hear.

Jazz was stunned, but his optics remained soft. "Now that I know, I too, will keep his secret. You needn't fear me. I think he was chosen because Primus knew only he could make all this work." Orion was relieved.

Meanwhile, finally rousing after getting beeped on the comm repetitively, both Mirage and Optimus woke. "What is going on?" Mirage asked.

"I don't know, but I am going to find out" Optimus stated before comming Ratchet. "Ratchet what is going on"

"Get your aft to the med bay, your sparklings are…" Ratchet shouted over the comm, but didn't get much further as the mention of sparklings caused the pair to race as fast as they could to the med bay.

Both burst through the door about the same time. Both looked angry, as no one but no one harmed their little ones. Ratchet and the other two told the parents what had occurred. Optimus, livid, went straight down to the brig to read the bot the riot act. Mirage, however, was angry about what had been left in the sparklings reach in the rec room. "Who in the hell leaves those items on the floor when we all know that there are sparklings around?" Mirage asked, especially to Ratchet who was known to be a bit sloppy when drunk.

And as Mirage read the riot act to Ratchet, Optimus looked dark and foreboding as he approached the youngling who had agreed to watch the little ones. The youngling looked scared. IF Optimus weren't sparked, he would have taken a little more compassion towards the bot, but since he was sparked, he gave the youngling an earful. The youngling begged for forgiveness and apologized profusely. Optimus, seeing that the lesson had been learned, released the bot and headed back to the med bay.

Slowly but surely both twins were recovering from the adventure that they had gone on. Keeper was not looking so weak and sick and Flasher was off the special equipment that had been on him. Jazz and Orion were still there and Ratchet kept his distance from Mirage, no one yet knowing Ratchet was actually sparked as well, not even the medic himself. He just figured better to give the upset sparked bot some space.

Optimus came up behind his mate. "I talked to the sitter, he feels awful" Optimus informed Mirage.

"I talked with Ratchet. Ratchet says that he thinks that they can come home soon" Mirage stated, settling back into his mate's arms. They hoped all would be well.


	34. Chapter 34

Several days after Flasher and Peacekeeper's adventure in the rec room, Ratchet finally felt like something was off. He couldn't quite place it. And to top it all off, he was horny as hell. He still had a few more hours in the med bay before First Aid came to replace him. He just hoped he could hold out until that time.

Meanwhile, Jack was experimenting in the science labs. He loved this stuff, even if it blew up in his face sometimes. HE was also glad to be bonded to the medic. Jack loved how surprisingly good the medic was while they were at home and in private. But Jack had to redirect his thoughts before something else blew up in his face or blew him up.

Back in the med bay, Orion and Prowl came in at the same time with similar symptoms, and while Orion was very quiet, Prowl was a bit louder. Orion knew what to expect, as he had sparked before, though this time he wouldn't have to worry about his little one being stolen. He quietly braced for what was to come.

Prowl, having never sparked before nor having never been in so much pain before, was slightly louder than Orion. Ratchet scanned the two over. Ratchet wanted to help Orion first, but Orion insisted Prowl should be helped. Reluctantly, Ratchet went over to tactician.

It was a good thing he did, as a small helm was already crowning. Ratchet jumped into high gear. "Push, Prowl…push" Ratchet encouraged.

"I…AM" Prowl insisted loudly between pushing. The first femme soon popped out, Silver all over with black trim and blue optics. She was so pretty as her silver coloration seemed to sparkle under the light. Ratchet set that one down. He was going to go back to Orion, when the second femme came shooting out and Ratchet almost missed her. Prowl glared at the medic.

"I didn't expect her to come so fast" Ratchet stated as he held the little one. She looked much like her parents except she was a flyer bot. Prowl and Ratchet didn't know where that had come from, but they were just glad she was healthy. "Rest now" Ratchet told Prowl and Prowl did.

And as Ratchet was heading back to Orion, he found Orion already holding the little mechling. Ratchet shook his head, same old Orion. "May I check him over?" Ratchet asked.

"Of course" Orion replied, handing the little red and yellow mechling over to the medic. Ratchet checked mother and son over and found them to be healthy.

"Any ideas on names?" Ratchet asked, for some reason very curious about naming little ones.

"Oh, Hide and I already talked about it. If it was a mechling, we were going to name him Sparker" Orion announced. He was happy and hoped that Hide would be as well.

"Well, welcome to the world, Sparker" Ratchet said. He then commed Hide and Jazz. Ironhide left Bee with Optimus, while Jazz left their little Skyfire with Wingspan. Both Hide and Jazz headed for the med bay.

Orion spotted his mate first. "I brought little Sparker into the world, my love" Orion uttered softly, showering the little one with love. Hide smiled. Hide was very happy indeed.

Meanwhile, Jazz went to Prowl who was still out for the count. "The silver one is the older of the two" Ratchet informed jazz, "but we couldn't figure out where the younger twin got the data for being a flyer."

"That comes from my side of the data. My true mother was a seeker. He was so musically talented and wonderful, but his life was cut short by my sire, who was a jealous old grounder who would have killed me too if it weren't for some very kind bots who helped me" Jazz explained. "I barely escaped alive with my life and a few old data tracks I could salvage."

Ratchet nodded. "He hasn't named them yet" Ratchet informed Jazz. Jazz wasn't exactly surprised, considering that Prowl appeared so tired and out of it.

"I think the silver one should be named Moonlight and the other, Jasmine, in honor of my mother, Jazzmin" Jazz stated, and both little ones cooed, as they seemed to like their names. Ratchet just smiled.

And soon after the sparkings, First Aid came to the med bay to take over. Now Ratchet could go home. He hoped two things – first, that his mate was in one piece and second, that his mate was ready for some fun. Ratchet would see both once he finally made it home. Ratchet's motor was going the second he reached the door. Jack was waiting as they knew this time together was going be fun, especially when Ratchet realized that Jack had found Ratchet's secret stash of toys.

Meanwhile, deep in the con base, Megatron was working on advancing the brats that had been sparked to Starscream. Megatron was programming them as he forced them to grow up quickly. Megatron advanced them to the advanced youngling stage, as then they could be trained by regular bots. The seekers grew fast, but not so the gun former. She was more complicated and her systems seemed to be harder to tamper with. Megatron was annoyed and angered, but continued to work as this had to work. He left his minions in charge, as he had plans to make yet again, as the Prime had to be brought down. Megatron just needed to find the right time to steal Mirage.

Back at the Autobot base, Optimus and Mirage were very careful with who they left their little ones with, wanting to make sure no one was too tired or overwhelmed to watch them. Optimus also assigned a bot each day to make sure that no items that were not sparkling safe were left within sparkling reach anywhere in the base. Mirage felt better about that, but wished there was a better place to hide the high grade than the upper cupboards of the rec room. Optimus quickly found another spot.


	35. Chapter 35

Mirage was in the room alone as Optimus had gone to the med bay with the twins, as both Optimus and the twins needed to be seen. Mirage needed to be seen as well, but he hadn't wanted to go. He still felt guilty for taking that mission that led him to his current condition. He felt alone. Like no one understood. He didn't realize he could have talked with Jazz, as Jazz would have understood.

Optimus, worried about Mirage, commed the bot. "Jazz, Mirage is feeling kind of down, could you please talk with him" Optimus asked over a private comm. Jazz informed Optimus that Jazz would do so and Jazz then headed over to the quarters.

Mirage reluctantly let the bot in, not realizing at first it was Jazz. "You look like you could use someone to talk with" Jazz stated softly, not wanting to scare Mirage off.

Mirage sighed deeply, tears in his optics. "There is nothing to talk about…"

Jazz went up to his adopted son and put an arm around him in a hug. "You aren't alone" Jazz whispered softly.

"Yes I am no one else understands" Mirage nearly screamed, as the rape was affecting him badly.

"Mirage….do you know the story behind my son and your brother Wingspan?" Jazz asked, hoping to reach the bot before Mirage broke and did something stupid.

Mirage shook his helm. "no…all I know is that you raised him alone until Prowl came along" Mirage said, calming slightly but still having tears drip down his face.

"I raised and kept Wingspan because he is my son. He, like the precious little ones you carry now, was the product of a rape. I was raped by a seeker many years ago. I was a youngling living on my own in the streets of another city. IT wasn't too far from Vos, where Seekers lived in isolation. I was digging through trash one night, trying to survive when a seeker came upon me. He tried sweet talking me at first, but when I refused, he became physical. He stole something very precious to me and kept going and going. I am not sure how long he went, as I passed out sometime before he left. When I did wake up, I was alone and without my very special possession. He had stolen it as a trophy. I wandered around until an old medic found me and took me in. He fixed what he could, but he told me I was with sparkling. He encouraged me not to hurt it. I trusted him and now, I still have Wingspan and now my family has grown" Jazz told Mirage, hoping to reach the distraught bot.

Mirage listened to the story, hearing the pain and anguish that Jazz had gone through just to keep Wingspan. Mirage was still upset about the whole thing, but he could see that he wasn't alone. He wasn't the only bot who had had this happen. He wasn't alone. He cried still. He cried into Jazz's shoulder that Mirage had leaned into. Jazz just held the bot close, knowing Mirage needed this, needed this cry to help him move through this.

"I know it hurts, son. I know it does. And to be honest, the hurt will never go away, it just lessens with time" Jazz stated, wanting Mirage to know the truth. Mirage didn't like hearing that, but it was what needed to be said.

Meanwhile, in the med bay, Ratchet and First Aid were checking on Flasher, Keeper, and Optimus. Flasher was healthy and was quickly completed with his checkup. Peacekeeper was next and his took a bit longer as Ratchet wanted to make sure that the young sparkling had no residual from having played in and drank a small amount of high grade energon. Thankfully for Ratchet, Keeper was a very patient sparkling, unlike Flasher.

Last but not least was the Prime. His sparklings had grown huge inside him and he now looked extremely big. But in addition to his larger size, he had a larger appetite for energon and interfacing. It was all poor Mirage could do to keep up with the bot. Optimus looked distressed as Ratchet scanned him.

"Something wrong Prime?" Ratchet queried, knowing that Optimus wasn't quite as focused as usual.

"No… its nothing" Optimus replied, not wanting to have to explain about Mirage's absence in the med bay or Mirage's depressive mood swings.

Ratchet wasn't going to fall for that old line. "Come off it, Prime. Something is wrong and it seems to be bothering you…. And your developing sparklings" Ratchet pointed out, hoping that pointing this out would prompt the Prime to talk.

Optimus sighed. He knew Ratchet was baiting him, but he had to tell someone. "Mirage isn't being himself. It's like a huge dark cloud looms over him much of the time" Optimus revealed, sending worry into Ratchet. "And it seems like nothing I do helps. I just hope sending jazz over will work or I am out of Ideas."

"I hope you are right Prime" Ratchet responded. This was getting trickier and Ratchet didn't like it.

Back in the quarters, Mirage had cried himself to sleep. Jazz kept an optic on him. Jazz could only hope Primus would help Mirage, as Mirage seemed lost. Mirage was dreaming as he slept. He felt something warm and loving surround him. It wasn't his mate, he knew that. But this felt so good.

"My son…." Primus called out lovingly.

"Who…who are you?" Mirage asked quietly, still hurting.

"I am Primus" Primus replied, "and I have come to help you." Mirage trusted this unseen force to help him and soon, guilt and anger seemed to subside. Mirage was slowly feeling better. Primus continued his work, knowing Mirage would be better once Mirage woke up.

As Mirage slept, Optimus headed home, hoping that this time Mirage would feel better. Keeper and Flasher snuggled into their father as he carried them home. When Optimus arrived, Jazz was still there.

"I talked with him Optimus, sir. I just hope he was able to be reached" Jazz said.

"You and me both" Optimus responded.

"Here, you two need some time, let me take the little ones" Jazz said and he left taking Flasher and Keeper with him.

Optimus took one look at his mate and hoping it would help, snuggled up next to the bot. Optimus knew he needed this and he hoped Mirage did as well. Though asleep, Mirage curled into Optimus. IT was a good sign. Optimus held Mirage tight and drifted off to sleep.


	36. Chapter 36

A few months down the road and after several intense battles with the Decepticons, Primus knew it was time for Optimus to spark his precious sparklings. Optimus had been kept on bedrest the last couple weeks because he was too big and too precarious to be up and about, especially with carrying five little ones inside him. Optimus hated being on bedrest, even if he was still allowed to make decisions based on intel gathered. HE had always been an active bot and this not being active bothered him.

Mirage tried to help as best he could. "Beloved, you are due any day now, please rest" Mirage begged.

"Easier said than done" Came the retort form Optimus. He didn't mean to be sour, but the pain and being inactive made him not feel like himself.

"No need to be a sourpuss, baby" Mirage replied, seeing if he could bring out the more cheerful Orion. It worked.

"I don't wanna be a sour puss" Orion pouted. It was cute.

"I know, babydoll. Is there anything I can do to help?" Mirage asked.

"Well… can …can I pleasure you?" Orion asked, knowing he was in pain but hoping this would help him feel better.

"Sure can, baby. And I will pleasure you" Mirage stated and both began pleasuring each other. Mirage had heard sometimes an interfacing session will induce sparking and he hoped this was no different. And just after the tow overloaded, Optiums came back with a loud yell.

"Mirage to Ratchet….come in Ratchet" Mirage stated, knowing what was coming.

"Ratchet here, what's up?"

"Optimus is starting to spark" Mirage stated.

"Be right there" Ratchet stated and he rushed off to the quarters of the Prime. Mirage opened the door and Optimus was laying the right way in the berth. "Alright, Prime, you push when you feel a contraction" Ratchet stated. Optimus did as told and the first mechling nearly flew out of the sparking canal. Ratchet barely caught it in time. Mirage didn't look very pleased at that, but the little one was safe. HE was a beautiful combination of coloration form both Optimus and Mirage and had a build more like Mirage.

Once that little one was in the special crib berth, the next two emerged much more slowly. Both were big like Optimus or even Peacekeeper. Mirage knew his mate was in pain. These next two were precious femmes, one sky blue in coloration while the other was a soft green. Both had white trim. Ratchet scanned them over and found them to be just fine. HE placed them also in the special crib berth and then returned to Optimus.

The next mechling came out slower than his brother but quicker than his sisters. This sparkling had a nice silver streak down each leg and arm. He shook his sparking fluids everywhere as he was sparked. Ratchet tried to scan the little one over, but the little one made it difficult. Mirage snickered, as it was just too funny. Soon Ratchet put this little one in the crib berth and returned to Optimus. But something didn't feel right.

Ratchet scanned Optimus and found something he didn't like, the last little one was had the cord around its tiny neck. Ratchet knew there was no way this one would spark normally without strangling itself. Ratchet sighed. "I have to open you up" Ratchet stated, and without further delay, Ratchet opened up the Prime. He had to move past a lot of wiring and parts to reach the chamber buried deep inside the prime.

Optimus was growing nervous as he waited. Mirage did his best to keep Optimus calm, but it was barely working. Ratchet soon reached the chamber and removed the little one. It looked purple and like it wasn't going to make it. But Ratchet wasn't one to give up. Ratchet quickly and thoroughly closed Optimus back up and then worked on the little one with everything the medic had. Mirage and Optimus could only watch to see if their last sparkling would make it.

Suddenly, a small cry broke out. Ratchet let out a sigh of relief, as did Optimus and Mirage. The last little fighter was a mechling, green in coloration with white and red trim. "He's a fighter" Ratchet said, placing the little one in with the rest of the sparklings. Optimus and Mirage could hardly believe it. Their family had grown once again. Ratchet, after checking over the Prime and all the sparklings as well as Mirage, soon left.

"You know, beloved, we need to name them" Mirage uttered excitedly. He was happy to see all five were happy and healthy.

"To true. Any thoughts?" Optimus asked, still a bit tired from the whole ordeal.

"Well, Luckystar for the youngest mechling, and Silverstreak for the one with silver down his limbs" Mirage stated.

Optimus nodded those were good names. "And how about Bluesky for one of the femmes, and Sea green for the other?" Optimus asked.

"I like Bluesky, but Sea green?" Mirage questioned.

"Well, you have a better Idea?" Optimus asked.

"Well…. how about …Peacemaker" Mirage suggested, starting to run out of ideas.

"That sounds like a better name for the oldest mechling" Optimus stated. Optimus thought that sounded more like a mechling name anyway instead of a femme name

Mirage had to agree with that. "Well, how about Spearmint for the other femme?" Mirage suggested, hoping this last idea sounded better.

Optimus smiled. That was better than Seagreen. "I like it much better. And apparently so does she" Optimus said, noting a coo from the femme.

"Well, welcome to the world Peacemaker, Bluesky, Spearmint, Silverstreak, and Luckystar" Mirage said, softly touching each as he said their name. Each cooed at the soft touch. "And thank you, my beloved, for such beautiful sparklings." Optimus just nodded and fell into recharge. Mirage would have joined him, but he had to watch the seven little ones. He was in awe as all were so healthy, including Flasher and Peacekeeper. He hoped that they stayed that way for a while.


	37. Chapter 37

The next day, Optimus was still out cold while the sparked Mirage took care of the seven little ones. EH was growing tired, but had been unable to find anyone to help him. Illusion was on a mission for intel, Wingspan was who knew where, Jazz and Prowl were busy with their own brood, and Orion and Ironhide were busy as well. Mirage did his best, but felt like he was failing.

Keeper and Flasher, though only months older than their siblings, tried to help as they could see how stressed their mommy was getting. Mirage smiled tiredly at them, appreciative of the little help that they could offer. It wasn't much, but it did help.

Optimus soon roused, but instead of checking in on his mate or their sparklings, he immediately ran to his office. He knew the Con attacks would not cease and so he planned to be in on the battle during the next one. He didn't even think about the fact that Ratchet hadn't cleared him to return to duty yet.

Huffer, a relatively new Autobot, was watching the screens. He knew of the Prime and had met him once or twice, but was unaware that the Prime had been on medical leave and that the Prime was not yet medically cleared to return.

"Huffer, how are things going?" Optimus demanded to know.

"Mostly small attacks, Prime, sir. It seems like Megatron is sending his troops out without him for some reason. Makes me suspicious" Huffer reported.

"Thank you Huffer, keep me posted" Optimus replied.

"Yes sir" Huffer answered and went back to watching the screens.

Optimus then decided to check in with Mr. Paranoia himself – Red Alert. "Greetings Red Alert, how is the security of this base doing?"

Red alert was startled slightly but when he saw it was the Prime, he gave a report. 'Everything is highly secure, sir" Red Alert stated, monitoring multiple cameras and alerts at once. "Seems like everyone and everything is busy working as they or it should."

"Excellent" Optimus responded. "Keep me informed of any new developments"

"Always do, sir" Red alert stated. Optimus nodded and left. Yes, Optimus knew the security bot did. IT was why Optimus always had so many datafile reports to read. Optimus soon headed back to his office, completely forgetting about his poor mate being stuck with all the sparklings.

At home, Keeper was getting worried about his mother, and though only about a year old, he went to get help. He needed to find someone big. Keeper knew of only one place to go – the med bay. And so, the young sparkling headed out, leaving his twin behind so that they could easily communicate what was wrong to the medic.

Peacekeeper half walked half crawled to the med bay. HE was hoping to find help. IN the med bay were Ratchet and Smokescreen, a bot Keeper didn't know but wasn't afraid of.

"Hey Ratchet, who is that?" Smokescreen asked, pointing to the little sparkling.

"That is Peacekeeper, Mirage and Optimus' oldest son. But I can't figure out why he is here alone" Ratchet replied, extremely worried.

"Mommy need help" Keeper said, stunning the medic a bit. He hadn't expected Peacekeeper and Flasher to be at that point yet where they could speak in almost full sentences. But then what the sparkling said hit the medic.

"Your mother needs help?" Ratchet asked gently, not wanting to scare the little one off.

Keeper nodded. "Daddy left" Keeper stated.

That worried Ratchet, but he didn't let it show. He finished up checking on Smokescreen and then both went to the Prime's quarters, with Keeper being carried by Smokescreen.

Upon entering the quarters, both older bots could see the place was a mess and in total disarray. Mirage was passed out on the couch. Flasher was desperately trying to rouse his mother while the five little ones just screamed, wanting attention and food. Smokescreen looked to Ratchet.

"Optimus and Mirage are both still supposed to be off duty…" Ratchet stated, searching for Optimus, but the Prime was nowhere to be found in the quarters. Ratchet was not happy. Ratchet checked over Mirage, who was low on energon, stressed out, and could possibly lose the sparklings growing in him. "We need to get help to Mirage" Ratchet said.

Ratchet began comming bots left and right. He found much the same as Mirage had with one exception – Illusion was now home. Ratchet told Illusion about Mirage and Illusion rushed to the aid of his twin. "Thank you for coming so quickly, Illusion" Ratchet said when the bot arrived.

"How is he? And where is Optimus?" Illusion asked, not liking what he saw.

"Mirage is in dire need of help, for himself and the sparklings. As for Optimus, I don't know where he is at, but when I find him, I am going to read him the riot act." Illusion nodded and went to help his twin.

Ratchet hung an energon drip before leaving. He headed straight for the office of the Prime. Smokescreen had stayed behind to help Illusion and Mirage as well as the sparklings. Ratchet soon found the leader in the office, studying plans for the next attack. Ratchet decided that there was only one way to get the Prime's attention, and so, Ratchet used his specialty and threw a wrench hitting the prime squarely in one of his sensitive audios.

Optimus shot up, the pain reeling. "What is the meaning of this?" he bellowed.

"You are not medically cleared yet, Prime, and you left your mate in a sorry state" Ratchet replied. "You remember, he is sparked too."

Optimus glared at the medic but then felt pain in his spark. It was from Mirage. Optimus lowered his helm. "I want to beat the Cons so my family can live in peace."

"If you don't help Mirage right now, your sparklings might be orphans" Ratchet stated, showing that Mirage was in dire need of help. When Optimus heard that, he knew there was only one place he needed to be right now, and that was home. He just hoped Mirage would be alright.


	38. Chapter 38

Optimus made his way into his quarters and saw Smokescreen and Illusion caring for the little ones. Keeper didn't look to happy. Neither did Flasher for that matter. Smokescreen and Illusion took notice when the older two sparklings turned towards the door way. There stood Optimus. Both could already tell Optimus felt bad for what he had done to cause this.

Illusion gave a look to the leader. "Optimus, I know you are a busy bot and have many who count on you, but you have to remember that Mirage and the sparklings count on you most of all" Illusion said in a warm but telling manner. Illusion found it hard to be mad at others, as he could see all were busy especially with the constant threat of battles breaking out. Still this was his twin and Illusion, being slightly older, was protective of Mirage even as Mirage protected Illusion.

Smokescreen didn't really say anything, not feeling that it was his place to do so. He just handed the little ones over and headed out. He had places to be. And he knew it wasn't his place to question the Prime.

Optimus took the little ones, the ones he had just sparked yesterday and held them close. Illusion just watched carefully. He didn't have to be anywhere right now. "I don't know much about caring for little ones" Optimus admitted even though he had sought out advice. "Mirage has always been the one to care for them."

"Here, let me show you some things" Illusion replied. He figured it was better to try and teach the leader than yell at him, especially in front of the little ones. Optimus watched as Illusion showed him a few things. Optimus was a quick learner and it even surprised Illusion a bit. "See, I knew you could do it" Illusion added, proud that Optimus was trying.

Optimus smiled a small smile. He helped Illusion get all seven little ones to sleep. Then and only then did Illusion leave, as he knew Optimus needed alone time with Mirage.

Mirage was in their berth, out cold. He had been fed two energon drips and was still asleep. Optimus felt awful and pulsed love, hoping he had come in time. Mirage, though out of it, pulsed love back. He was just exhausted, not dying. Optimus felt better at that, but it still left him feeling guilty. Optimus curled up next to his mate and pulled Mirage close, hoping it would help. Mirage unconsciously snuggled close. Optimus hoped that was a good sign as he fell asleep curled up next to his mate, with the leader's settings so that he would wake if the sparklings stirred.

Meanwhile, Illusion went to talk with Jazz and Prowl. He wanted to let them know what had happened. Jazz, playing with Skyfire, Moonlight and Jasmine, saw Illusion coming and Illusion didn't look happy. Jazz got the three little ones to sleep and then went to talk to Illusion.

"What bothers you so, son?" Jazz asked, unaware of what had happened to Mirage and Optimus.

"I just came from Mirage's after Ratchet commed me. I had just gotten home from a mission. Mirage looked terrible."

"Why did Mirage look so bad?" Jazz asked, starting to get angry at Optimus, figuring Optimus had done something once again.

"Because he couldn't find ANY bot to help him with his seven sparklings" Illusion said, emphasizing heavily the "any" part of his statement.

Jazz was caught off guard by that. "Well, Optimus should have been there to help him" Jazz retorted back, not liking the implication Illusion was making. Also, missing the number "seven" that Illusion had said. Jazz was still under the impression that there were only two sparklings to watch and thus Mirage shouldn't have been overwhelmed.

"Mom, Optimus is the leader. Yes, he should help, but others should be able to help as well – like maybe you and Prowl or Wingspan. Did you ever even stop by since Optimus sparked the newest 5?" Illusion asked, seemingly upset that no one had been willing to help his twin.

"He sparked?" Jazz asked, stunned. He had been aware that Optimus was sparked but not that he had sparked the little ones already.

"Yes, he did. A total of five little ones, yesterday. Or were you too busy fooling around with Prowl to care?" Illusion asked, going a little below the belt, but blast it all, his twin had been hurt.

"Mind your manners, Illusion, just because I adopted you doesn't mean you get to be rude to me" Jazz stated, angry at Illusion, well angrier at himself than Illusion but that comment deserved an angry response. Illusion knew better than to say things like that as Jazz had taught him so.

"He is my twin and I hate seeing him suffer" Illusion bit back, tired of being treated like a youngling. He was a full-grown adult. "Besides, just because I don't have any mate yet doesn't mean you get to treat me like a sparkling or a youngling."

Jazz groaned a bit. Illusion was right. Jazz wasn't treating the bot with respect like he should have been. "Fine, I will go see them tomorrow." Illusion nodded and left. He still felt bad for his twin, but hoped that all would soon resolve itself. This had been a long day for all involved.

Meanwhile, outside the Autobot drama, Megatron was making his moves on various locales, stripping them of valuable resources and making sure those who still resided there were either forced to join or slaughtered. Bots didn't stand much choice. Sparklings got it even worse. Only one set of sparklings survived the onslaught because they were well hidden. Both Slugbug and Kryptonight watched as their parents were slaughtered at the hand of Megatron. Both twins hoped that they could get to the Autobots before the Decepticons found them. They didn't know if they would make it, but they had to try. They would wait for the cover of darkness and hope that Primus would keep them safe.


	39. Chapter 39

A few days later, when the drama caused by the new sparklings at the Autobot base had subsided, Optimus was back in control of the Autobots and fighting while Mirage stayed behind with the sparklings since he was sparked. Jazz and Orion came by often to help Mirage, which Mirage greatly appreciated.

"Thank you for all you help, Orion" Mirage stated, grateful to have it.

"Not at all, my son. It is a mother's duty to help" Orion replied. He knew Jazz came over too, Orion just liked being able to help as well.

"I am glad Optimus is no longer sparked. I don't think I could take his constant needs" Mirage stated, knowing Orion would understand.

"You knew what you were getting into when you bonded with him" Orion corrected Mirage gently.

"Yes, I did, but I didn't expect a Prime to become sparked, as it has never been heard of except in ancient legends" Mirage replied. Orion nodded, as that was true.

"Where is Optimus anyway?" Orion asked, curious.

"Out at battle, fighting off another Decepticon attack. This time they are at the ancient citadel of Ion. It is mostly ruins, but the Cons have been there searching for something" Mirage stated. HE didn't like it when his mate fought, but he knew it was important to the others.

Orion didn't like hearing it either, but he knew it must be done. "Well, I am sure Primus will keep him safe." Mirage nodded. He was glad that Orion was such an understanding bot.

Mirage had a question though. "Orion, if it is not too painful for you, could you tell me what it was like to be a pleasure bot?" Mirage asked innocently enough.

Orion looked to the bot. "Do you really wish to know?" Orion asked and Mirage nodded. Orion began to tell his dark story of how he had lived his life before Optimus was Prime and even before Orion Pax was born. It was not a pleasant existence. Mirage was saddened to hear all the pain and suffering Orion had gone through just to survive the hell he was sparked into. "We all do what we must to survive" Orion ended his story with. Mirage gave the bot a hug, knowing while it would never erase the past, it meant a lot now. Orion hugged back.

Meanwhile, in another part of the base, Wingspan felt like he was going nuts. He had never grown up around another seeker, and had no idea his systems were going into seeker heat. All he knew was that he needed to find Hot Rod and a quiet place packed with energon for multiple days. He easily found the place and it was filled with energon. Hot Rod was a bit harder to find, but soon Wingspan found him. The pair locked themselves in the private quarters, somehow knowing that they would be there for days on end. No one yet knew that at the end of the time in the room, the two would be bonded and Wingspan would be sparked.

Meanwhile, in Ion, where the fighting was going on, Optimus was locked in battle with Megatron. The foul leader was trying to get rid of the Prime, but the Prime seemed uninjured by most shots. Even the mighty Armor of Unicron didn't seem to be functioning at full capacity. Optimus knew he had to fight had as his Autobot brethren and his family were depending on him. HE was not going to give up.

Megatron tried leading his men in the fight, but his men took many hard hits. And when Megatron suffered a great blow at the hands of Prime, Megatron called for a retreat. All the cons soon fled the area and headed back to their base with their so-called tails between their legs. Optimus stood tall. TI gave his men encouragement.

But as he stood tall, a couple of small sparklings crawled out of the rubble. He studied them carefully. One was a white and gold racer while the other was a blue and silver seekerling. Optimus was not sure to make of the pair. They made their way to him. Not one to leave precious sparklings behind, Optimus scooped them up. He knew many at the base had already taken other sparklings in and so it was his and his mate's turn to take these small bots in. Slugbug and Kryptonight found themselves scooped up by the Autobot leader, but weren't sure what his intentions were.

"Please sir" Slugbug begged, "don't harm us."

Optimus was a bit stunned, as he didn't realize these sparklings were a bit older. "I don't plan on doing any harm to you. My name is Optimus Prime. I am the leader of the Autobots. We take in lost sparklings, and seeing how many of the Autobots have already taken in sparklings from other youth centers, I figured that my mate and I would take you into our home."

Slugbug smiled at hearing that. "My name is Slugbug" the little white and gold racer said.

"And I am Kryptonight" the seekerling screeched. He had suffered some vocal trauma on their way to find help.

"I will take good care of you, as will my mate" Optimus replied and he put the little ones inside his semi-trailer and led his Autobots back to base.

Once back to base, Optimus headed for home, as his injuries were fairly minor. HE needed to show Mirage the two new little ones to add to their growing brood.

Mirage was at home, by himself resting, as the seven sparklings were sleeping. "Beloved? What is this?" Mirage queried.

"I found these two after our last battle. They have no home. I was planning on us taking them in" Optimus said, hope in his voice.

Mirage looked at the sweet little ones. "Ok, they can stay with us. Do they have names or do we need to pick more?"

"They are Slugbug and Kryptonight" Optimus said, pointing to which one was which one.

Mirage smiled. "Welcome to our home." The twins smiled and snuggled close. They were happy to be safe. Mirage kissed his mate. This may have been more work, but Mirage wouldn't trade it for the world.


	40. Chapter 40

Meanwhile, as his brood had now swelled to nine total sparklings, Mirage was getting bigger since he had found out that he was carrying triplet seekerlings. Mirage was a bit confused. He knew as a tower bot he was programmed for twins, but when Ratchet explained that seekers always seemed to come in triplets, things made more sense to the Illusionist. Still, with growing developing sparklings and now nine others to care for, Mirage grew tired easily.

Optimus tried to help as much as he could, but both Mirage and Optimus knew that Optimus was needed on the front line and in the battle field to help fend off the Decepticons who sought to destroy everything including the Autobots who stood in Megatron's way for ruling Cybertron. Mirage was grateful for whatever help Optimus provided.

This day saw Ironhide visit, with Bee and Sparker in tow. "Hey Mirage" Hide said warmly in his usual gruff tone.

"Hi Ironhide. Glad to see you" Mirage replied, really glad to have someone come by and help.

"Orion was busy with something else, so he asked me to come over and help" Ironhide stated, seeing just how overwhelmed Mirage was getting.

"I appreciate any help I can get" Mirage replied.

"Hey, where did those two come from?" Hide asked, pointing at Slugbug and Kryptonight.

"Optimus found them after the battle you guys had at the ancient citadel of Ion. He decided that since everyone else had adopted other sparklings and younglings form other youth centers that we would adopt these two into our growing brood" Mirage replied warmly, happy to be able to help the young ones. He also enjoyed their help with the other little ones, not knowing just how special the two young newcomers were. No one but Slugbug and Kryptonight knew that Bug was a portal for Primus and had been led to Optimus because Bug's spark sensed the Matrix of Leadership inside the bot.

Hide nodded. "It is good to see that he does like he asks his soldiers to do" Hide stated. He remembered when Optimus had ordered bots to take in the younglings and sparklings that had been saved. Hide now saw that not even the Prime had made himself above doing so. IT made Hide smile. This Prime was truly different from the many who had knowingly come before him.

"Optimus would never think he is above anyone in doing things" Mirage reminded Ironhide. It was true, and both knew it.

"I know. That is what makes him the best Prime I've ever known" Hide replied and he got down to work with the little ones. Mirage tried to get down onto the floor but couldn't do it. Hide saw it and even with his bad hip, helped Mirage back up to the couch. "I think it best you not sit on the floor anymore, Mirage."

"I agree" Mirage stated, his huge abdomen sticking out from his slender frame. "I don't think I could get up on my own anymore." Hide nodded and helped get all the little ones down for a nap. Mirage was tired too, but didn't feel right sleeping. He felt like he was still obligated to watch over all the precious sparklings he and his mate had.

Hide quickly noticed that Mirage was extremely exhausted. "I'll stay awake and listen for them, you get some rest, as I am sure you are very tired" Hide told Mirage. Mirage was already starting to nod off. Hide helped the largely sparked bot into Mirage's own berth. Mirage was soon out like a light. Hide stayed, just in case any of the sparklings woke up and needed something.

Meanwhile, Optimus was fighting on the front battle lines once again. His strength had been renewed since after having sparked his five little ones that he had been carrying. He also knew that he was not only fighting to save his Autobot brethren and his home world of Cybertron, he was fighting to give his sparklings a future without war. It seemed like a pipe dream, but it drove Optimus to continue fighting back against the enemy.

Megatron was furious that every single time he fought the Prime he lost. This outraged him more and more with each battle loss. Megatron would fight hard, using the full power of the Armor of Unicron and the worst was Optimus suffered battle wounds. Megatron was livid at that. He had to figure out a way to bring the Prime to his knees.

"You will not win this time, Prime" Megatron shouted in anger and utter fury as he continued to blast and throw nasty blows at the Prime.

"Watch me, you pompous old windbag" Optimus retorted, sick of hearing Megatron's seemingly empty threats. They battled fiercely but both were of equal power or so it seemed. Megatron threw blow after blow but Optimus seemed to still stand even then. Megatron, sick of this losing battle called a retreat, but not before issuing a dire warning to the Prime himself.

"Just you wait, Prime. I will defeat you. I will steal something very precious to you and there will be nothing you can do about it" Megatron threatened as he left. Optimus could only hope that threat didn't mean what he thought it meant.

After Megatron left the area, the Autobots who had come out with Optimus gathered around, having heard the threat. "What do you think he means by that Prime?" one asked, slightly puzzled as to how that would work, as the bot knew once a Prime was selected, no one but Primus could force the bot to remove the Matrix of Leadership.

"He must either mean my and my mate's sparklings…or Mirage himself, my mate" Optimus replied, hoping that there would be no way Megatron would be able to carry out this threat. "Mirage and the sparklings he has must be carefully monitored at all times" Optimus stated as they rolled out to head back to the base of the Autobots. Little did Optimus know that it would only be a matter of time where Megatron would carry out this threat.


	41. Chapter 41

Optimus knew deep in his spark that Mirage would hate to be guarded, especially if the bot knew it was because Optimus decided to, regardless of why. Optimus would have to be careful in guarding his family without Mirage knowing he was being monitored. That was easier said than done, as Mirage was no dummy and noticed practically everything or so it seemed. Optimus was torn and wasn't sure who to talk to. He finally decided to go talk with Illusion, as no one knew Mirage better, not even Optimus.

Illusion thankfully was in his room alone when he heard a knock at the door. He went to answer and was a bit stunned to see Optimus. "Prime? Sir?" Illusion asked in utter shock.

"I require some assistance and knowledge that you possess to help your brother" Optimus stated. He knew he had to find a way to keep Mirage safe.

Illusion was a bit confused but let the Prime in. "What can I help you with, Optimus?"

Optimus sighed. "During the last battle that I had with Megatron, in the ancient citadel of Ion, Megatron issued a very specific threat. IT was a threat against me. He threated to take something that is very precious to me. He was vague about it, but I fear that he will try to take my sparklings, my mate, or both. And my problem also lies in this – Mirage doesn't like to be trapped and he doesn't like to be monitored all the time. How do you suggest I keep him safe without smothering him?" Optimus asked, needing an answer, a direction to go in.

Illusion listened and processed what Optimus had said. "Optimus, the only answer I can give you is one you will not like. You must speak to Mirage and tell him exactly what you told me. He needs to know that his life and the lives of all your sparklings are threatened by Megatron. You can't keep that from him. He still won't want the constant monitoring but he will understand why it has to be done."

Illusion was right about one thing. Optimus didn't like that answer, as he hadn't wanted to alert his mate. But what Illusion told him made sense and it was the right thing to do even if it wasn't the easy thing to do. "You're right, Illusion. Thank you" Optimus said and he got up to head out.

"Pleasure is all mine. But I do suggest you hurry and talk to Mirage, as one of the bots has him soon scheduled to make another spy mission intel run for the cause" Illusion informed Optimus, who hadn't known. This made things all the direr.

"Before I check on my mate, where are the sparklings?" Optimus asked, hoping that they were safe.

"Jazz has some and Orion has the rest" Illusion stated. "Orion gave some to jazz to distract him as Jazz hasn't been able to find Wingspan for several days."

"Wingspan is missing?" Optimus asked.

"Yeah, and Hot Rod" Illusion said.

"I will keep an optic out for them. Thank you. I must find my mate first, though" Optimus replied, having no idea Mirage was now gone on an intel mission. Illusion hadn't known Mirage was scheduled for one this day.

Optimus headed for home, a lot on his mind. He worried about the war, the cons, Hot Rod, Wingspan, his sparklings, and most of all, his mate. Optimus suddenly got a bad feeling as he approached his quarters. Something didn't feel right. Optimus opened the doors to the quarters and found the quarters slightly cleaner than usual. Optimus searched around, but no Mirage. Optimus scanned with a special sensor he had to see if his mate was invisibly moving around the room. Still, no Mirage. Optimus headed out to Teletran 1. He could only hope his mate wasn't on the list of bots out on missions right now.

Meanwhile, deep in the con base, Mirage was gathering intel, unaware his presence had been sensed by that nosey telepath, Soundwave. He continued to gather more and more. He kept his wits about him, but he didn't see Soundwave until it was too late. Soundwave knocked Mirage out and dragged him off to the con brig before alerting Megatron.

Back in the Autobot base, Optimus made it to the main room. He went to Teletran 1 to see which bots were out and what their assignments were. The computer told him a total of 5 bots were listed as out. The first mentioned was Slingblade, on a mission to find more energon. Optimus had to acknowledge before moving onto the next.

The next three bots mentioned were bots that Optimus didn't recognize but were on somewhat safe missions. Lastly, Mirage was listed as out. His destination was the Con base to gather intel. Optimus swore. The was the last thing he needed. He now had no way to protect his mate from whatever Megatron might do. Optimus knew Mirage had run these missions many times before and had always returned, but something felt just plain wrong this time. Optimus had a feeling that Mirage was in deep trouble. And the problem was, he was exactly right.

Elsewhere, in the brig at the con base, Mirage was tied up and bound in a brig cell. He knew he should not have run this due to being heavily sparked, but he felt like he needed to do this. He felt like he needed to help the Autobot cause. However, his decision led him to where he was now – in a Decepticon brig cell being watched over by none other than Soundwave. Mirage tried to pretend his was out of it. He could only pray that his mate and Autobot brethren made it here before Megatron could do anything worse.

Megatron was pleased. He had captured Mirage. He knew this would bring out Optimus. He couldn't wait until they met again. This time, Megatron was so confident that he would win, he already began planning on how he would run Cybertron. Little did he remember that one should never count their chickens before they are hatched,


	42. Chapter 42

As Mirage remained curled up in the Decepticon brig, faking that he was out cold, Optimus and the Autobots were planning multiple attacks on the Decepticon base. They had to lure out the Cons for fighting in order to save poor Mirage. After Optimus read the riot act to the bot who let the sparked Mirage go on an intel gathering session, they planned things carefully.

"Prime, I know you aren't going to like to hear this, but the only bot capable right now of saving Mirage is his twin" Ironhide stated, having left Orion to watch their own sparklings plus some of Optimus and Mirage's sparklings.

"I should be on the team to get him" Optimus said.

"No Prime" Prowl stated, "we need you to draw out Megatron. His goal is to get to you. If you go in to get Mirage, there is a high chance we will lose both of you."

Optimus hated to admit it, but Prowl was right. "So who do we send off to attract the seekers out?" Optimus asked his fellow officers.

"I would suggest the aerial bots" Prowl replied.

"The aerial bots?" Optimus asked, having been unaware of the aerial bots as they had only recently arrived.

"Yes, they recently arrived to help out the Autobots. Jazz and several others have been training them" Prowl explained.

"Ok, well that's the aerial attack settled. What about on the ground?" Optimus asked.

"I think ya should lead a group of grounders, such as myself and several others" Ironhide suggested, naming several other bots.

"That makes sense. But I cannot send in Illusion alone. Mirage is too precarious, especially since he is close to sparking any day now" Optimus informed them.

"I think you should send Hound and Tracks in with Illusion. Hound has his own programming that allows for illusions and Tracks could help carry and be covered with illusions from Illusion and Hound" Ironhide suggested.

"I also suggest you bring plenty of energon, as Mirage will be dangerously low" Ratchet stated, putting in his two cents worth.

"Agreed" Optimus stated. And he ordered all the bots that had been discussed to head out according to the plan created. The aerial bots, happy and eager to help, headed out first. As Optimus knew it was important to get the seekers to be distracted first.

And only once the battle in the sky started, did the other two teams head out. Optimus led the grounder Autobots while Illusion led Hound and Tracks towards the con base. Optimus pulsed love along the bond, trying to encourage Mirage to hang on and that the Autobots were coming. Optimus felt a weak pulse back that encouraged Optimus to hurry up. Optimus got the message loud and clear.

Back at the Autobot base, Jazz and Orion had gone to a more secure place, taking all their sparklings plus all of Mirage and Optimus' sparklings to a special shelter. They knew that Megatron may try and come to take these specific sparklings. And so they prepared and the base was placed on guard, so all knew that they needed to protect the youngest bots in the base.

Meanwhile, in the sky, Starscream and his brothers were locked in combat with the aerial bots. Starscream was easily getting annoyed that he couldn't out run these bots as well as he could outrun grounders as these bots had the same flying advantages of the seekers. Thundercracker and Skywarp tried to help, but five on three made the odds seem very heavy in the Autobot favor.

On the ground, Optimus and several other ground bots rolled up. Optimus knew his presence alone would lure out the con leader. And he was not wrong, for as soon as he transformed to his bipedal mode, he was blasted. "Caught you now, Prime" Megatron bellowed loudly, determined to destroy the Prime.

"That's what you think you foul bot" Optimus replied, blasting the Con leader. Optimus and the other bots were heavily engaged in combat. Optimus could only hope that this distraction battle would help the others save Mirage.

IN the Con base, Soundwave had been left to guard the seemingly passed out Mirage. Megatron may have been evil but he wasn't stupid. He knew the Autobots would try something to rescue Mirage, and so he left his telepath to fight with those bots. Soundwave sensed the three bots coming. He may not have been able to see them, but he sent out a psychic blast to try and stop them.

All three Autobots were soon stopped in their tracks. The blast had hit them all differently, with Illusion being the least affected and tracks being the most. Hound, having dealt with a strange telepathic bot before had one suggestion. "Psychic noise" was what he suggested, explaining to being to the forefront any kind of thought that had nothing to do with the mission that they were on. He could only hope to overwhelm the telepath and cause him to temporarily crash.

All three bots soon tried the psychic warfare. Tracks, who had seen some really disgusting things, now brought those to the front. Illusion brought forth the abuse he and his twin had suffered from their original creators before they lost their tower home. Hound brought forth other disgusting thoughts. They kept these foremost in their mind. Soundwave tried to penetrate again, but each time he received another thought of something he didn't want to know. HE tried and tried to stop them, but it wasn't working. He was soon overwhelmed with the nasty thoughts and ended up crashing. The three were relieved, but it was short lived when they saw Mirage.

Illusion opened the brig and got his twin. Mirage looked awful and then Illusion felt something drip. Mirage was starting to spark. Illusion got the Mirage and the others out of the Con base but then gave Mirage to Tracks, as he was the fastest of the group. "You have to get him to Ratchet, he is sparking" Illusion ordered Tracks. For once, Tracks did as he was told. Illusion commed ahead to Ratchet, being careful not to comm Optimus yet, as they were still too close.

Only once Mirage was safe at the base and Illusion and Hound were as well did Illusion comm Optimus. Optimus was relieved, but was still in the middle of fighting the cons.

"Your plan fell through, Megatron" Optimus said, blasting the Con leader harder.

Megatron growled. "My plans never fail" Megatron stated, only then getting a comm from a revived Soundwave that the prisoner was gone. Megatron was livid. He called off the fighting and retreated. Optimus once again stood victorious. The Autobots gathered around him.

"Transform and Roll out. Back to base, our mission has been accomplished" Optimus said, hoping that he would get back before Mirage sparked the little ones.


	43. Chapter 43

As Optimus raced back to the base, Mirage was in pain and out of it as he was ready to spark the three seekerlings that had been forced upon him. He was out of it because he was low on energon. Ratchet quickly set up a few drips to run in as the bot got ready to spark the precious little ones. Jazz had warned Mirage that unlike other sparklings, seekerlings are much more painful to spark. Mirage had done his best to prepare, but even that wasn't quite enough. Mirage really wished his sparkmate was here to help him with this. Mirage figured Optimus was still fighting the Cons and so would be unable to come.

"Come on Mirage, you have to push or those little ones might get stuck" Ratchet reminded Mirage.

Mirage began to bear down, deep and loud screams of pain coming forth as he did so. In between the screams were swear words that Mirage had learned long ago while a tower bot but had been told to never repeat. Ratchet was a bit taken aback, as many times he forgot Mirage was sparked a tower bot. "AHH. *&%^%$" Mirage let out as the first seekerling emerged.

"Here it comes" Ratchet stated. This first seeker was mostly quiet with a shade of aquamarine to its mech seekerling form. Ratchet scanned the bot. The little one got slightly annoyed when poked and prodded and let out a grunt. Only then did Ratchet set the little one in the crib.

The next seekerling soon emerged, giving Mirage almost no rest in between these two little ones. Mirage was still in pain as sensitive metal seemed to rip open further thanks to the wings on the seekerling. This one was blue and Red and almost looked like Optimus had contributed data, but all knew he hadn't. This one was also a mechling.

Meanwhile, as Mirage was painfully sparking, Optimus was pushing his oversized slow alt mode as fast as he could and still maneuver safely. Optimus felt the agony that Mirage was pulsing through the bond. Optimus did his best to pulse love and support as well as reassurance that Optimus would be there as soon as possible. Mirage pulsed back when he could, but the pain from this sparking was overwhelming. Optimus was trying so hard to get back to the base, he almost left his other fellow Autobots behind. Hide understood, but still. A leader did have to lead.

Back in the med bay, almost ready to go into temporary stasis lock from the pain, Mirage was working on sparking his last seekerling. This one was slightly bigger than the other two and had decided to take his own sweet time to come forth. Mirage was losing it and Ratchet decided it would be better to open the bot up. Ratchet called on Help from First aid and both began working on getting this last seekerling out of the sparkling development chamber than was deep inside Mirage.

Mirage tried to stay awake through all of this but it was extremely difficult. He hoped to see the last seekerling sparked before he passed out into temporary stasis lock. Ratchet and Aid were working hard, and being very careful on reaching the little one and getting him out. The sparklings seemed to play hard to get as the medics got further and further in.

Finally, Aid caught the little one, though it was not so little once Aid finally removed the last seekerling. IT was a mechling with purple, blue and red. Mirage groaned. Just what he needed, a seeker that reminded him who had forced this sparking on him. At that, Mirage passed out.

Just a few seconds later, as Aid was setting the last seekerling down, Optimus burst through the door of the med bay, looking for his mate and the little ones. "This way, Optimus" Ratchet called from a distant part of the med bay. Optimus raced to where the sound came from. IT was there he saw the little ones all safe and sound. He also saw his mate passed out in temporary stasis lock with tubes and wires going all over.

"Is Mirage ok?" Optimus demanded to know.

"He will be physically, as the energon is flowing into him. The antivirus is running on his systems and all wounds have been patched up" Ratchet stated.

"In the meantime, meet your newest sparklings" Aid stated, bringing over the special medical crib berth with the just sparked seekerlings in it. Optimus looked down at all three. He had agreed with his mate that no matter how these three were created, they were his and his mate's precious sparklings.

"Who was the oldest?" Optimus asked.

"The one with Aquamarine coloration" Ratchet stated.

"He looks like a Seaspan" Optimus replied, earning a soft coo.

"Sounds like an excellent choice for a name. Mirage hasn't been able to name any yet, so you a free to do so" Aid stated.

"And I think Blue fire for the one that looks a lot like me" Optimus said. The little one cooed.

"Another good strong name, Prime" Aid complimented. "Just one left."

Optimus looked at the biggest and youngest of the three. He did see what Mirage saw, but he also saw something else – a very sweet mechling. "I think we will name you Skyblazer" Optimus said, earning another little coo. Optimus smiled until he noticed that not only were the little ones fading in and out of sight, but also they seemed to move or "warp" around in the crib berth by themselves. Optimus didn't want to panic but this didn't look right.

Aid came over. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"They are flickering in and out of sight and then they are moving on their own! What is going on?" Optimus asked, fearful that something was wrong.

"Relax, Optimus. Your little ones inherited the illusionary data from Mirage, just like Flasher, and your little ones also got data from Skywarp – and so they have the ability to Warp around. You will learn to help them much the same way you are learning to help Flasher" Aide stated. Ratchet, having finally read Mirage's medical background and data, agreed. That made Optimus feel better.

Mirage would wake up in a few hours Ratchet assured, but for now, Optimus was happy to stay in the med bay and get to know his newest little ones as he waited for his mate to come around.


	44. Chapter 44

A few days after Mirage had had his triplet seekerlings, Wingspan finally emerge from the quarters he had holed up in. Hot Rod came out as well. They had no idea they were being sought out, as no one had seen them in almost a fortnight. Neither had realized that for the last twelve days, they had been in that room, taking care of Wingspan's seeker heat. Both had showered as if on instinct and then headed out.

The first bot to spot the pair was Orion, who had been taking Bee and Sparker to the med bay. "Wingspan? Hot Rod? IS that really you?" Orion asked, careful not to drop his sparklings.

Wingspan yawned a bit. "Yes, it's us. Why wouldn't it be?" Wingspan asked in a sort of snappy way. He didn't realize he was now bonded and sparked.

Orion stepped back a bit, as he didn't want himself or the sparklings he carried harm. "Wingspan, you have been missing for twelve days, as has Hot Rod. No one could find you. It was all Prowl, Mirage, Hide, Illusion, and I could do to keep Jazz from flipping out about your sudden disappearance."

At hearing that, Wingspan was not only stunned, but he also felt awful. He didn't realize he had done that. "Where is my mama?" he asked.

"IN his quarters, taking care of your sisters and Skyfire" Orion replied, still cautious.

Hot Rod just watched before he felt his mate grab him. "We have to go find my mother" Wingspan said and the two headed off.

Orion was just glad that they were gone, as he worried about the response he got from Wingspan, unaware that seekers, when sparked, were considered much more deadly. Orion continued on to the med bay, as both sparklings needed to have a routine checkup.

Meanwhile, Ratchet was not in the med bay, Aide was. Ratchet hadn't felt that great and when he scanned over himself he found out why – he was carrying twin mechlings. Ratchet sighed. Granted, he had wanted a family, but he had never expected to be the one to carry the sparklings. Then again, when he realized who his mate was, it made sense that of the pair, Ratchet would be "safer" to carry sparklings than Wheeljack.

"Well, no more high grade…" Ratchet said aloud, unaware his mate came in the room.

"Well, that's new" Jack replied, startling Ratchet, "You always liked your high grade."

Once recovered from the initial shock, Ratchet looked at his mate. "Trust me, I still like my high grade. But if I drink it now, I could kill our sparklings" Ratchet stated firmly.

"What? Sparklings?" Jack asked, having been unaware that Ratchet had sparked during their bonding session.

"Yes, during our bonding session, I sparked and now carry twins" Ratchet explained.

"Well, then I don't have to worry about you coming home drunk for a while" Jack retorted, knowing he would get a bit of a rise out of his mate, or so he hoped.

"Well, you may have to get repaired by First aid if you aren't careful" Ratchet bit back. Jack just smiled. They soon snuggled up in their berth as both were tired.

Meanwhile, with Jazz was Mirage and Illusion as well as all of Mirage's and Jazz's little sparklings. Jazz was still upset a not being able to find his seekerling son.

"He will return, mom" Mirage said encouragingly. "He always does."

"Yeah, we shouldn't give up on him" Illusion added.

Jazz wasn't so sure. He missed Wingspan. "It's hard. He's been gone for 12 days. I miss him. He didn't even comm me like he usually does."

Just after Jazz said that, a new voice sounded. "I'm right here, mama." It was Wingspan, with Hot Rod in tow.

Jazz raised his helm up, in shock at first, but as soon as he saw his son, he raced over to give Wingspan a hug. "You worried me so. Where were you?" Jazz asked, crying into his son's chest."

"I was in my new quarters…. I don't remember much about the last 12 days. I didn't even realize I was gone that long until Orion told me. I'm sorry I hurt and upset you, mama" Wingspan stated, hugging his mother back.

"I don't remember what happened either" Hot Rod told the group. "All I know is that we are now bonded."

Jazz looked to Hot Rod. Granted, he would have liked to have a say in who his son bonded to, but Jazz knew Hot Rod and knew that Hot Rod was a good bot. "Welcome to the family" Jazz said, leaving the embrace with Wingspan and embracing Hot Rod. Wingspan smiled while Hot Rod wasn't sure about all this. He had grown up in a family that didn't show affection much.

"It's just a hug, Hot Rod. It shows love and affection" Illusion explained. Hot Rod nodded and hugged Jazz back, no one expecting the next guest to arrive.

Soon, Optimus made his way to the little family gathering, as he had been looking for his wayward mate. Optimus always tried to make sure that Mirage was safe without putting Mirage under constant surveillance. Mirage appreciated the compromise that they had agreed on, even if it meant a little less privacy for him.

Hot Rod was stunned. He hadn't expected to see the Prime. Optimus, who had seen Jazz hug hot rod and welcome hot rod into the family, just smiled. "I see that Jazz has not yet had an opportunity to introduce you to just what family you are coming into. For you see, many years ago, Jazz adopted Illusion and Mirage. And while Illusion is still hoping to find his forever love, Mirage is bonded and has sparklings. For you see, Mirage is my mate" Optimus explained. At that, Hot Rod passed out. This was too much.

Jazz just smiled, happy to have his family back together and with a new member to boot. HE could only hope that somehow he could figure out why Wingspan had disappeared for all those days. The answer would come in time.


	45. Chapter 45

In the con base, Megatron continued to run his experiments on the triplet seekerlings and femme gunformer that Starscream had sparked. So far, the seekerlings were easily age manipulated, but not so with the femme gunformer. Megatron was irritated that she was not growing up as fast as he would like, but her fierce spirit was the only thing that seemed to prevent him from destroying her. He continued to tinker with the seekerlings, knowing that soon he could at least make them soldiers in his army.

Meanwhile, back at the Autobot base, sparklings and younglings seemed to be everywhere. If they hadn't been sparked to bots, they had been rescued from destroyed citadels and youth centers. Optimus always refused to build a new youth center in the Autobot base. IT was his command that when young bots came in, each was given to a family or bot to raise. Optimus made himself no exception as he and his mate had taken in the two newest lost sparklings.

Ratchet and Jack had taken in a couple sparklings from another bot after that bot was no longer able to care for them. The little bots were named Trooper and Mustang. The pair were twins and while they could be a handful, they were very loving. Ratchet hoped that these little ones would accept the fact that they were going to be big brothers.

"Trooper, Mustang. We have to tell you that you will be big brothers soon" Jack told them.

"We will?" they asked.

"Yes, and we will need your help with them" Ratchet stated, hoping that they would be gentle with the new little ones.

"We want to help. We can't wait to be big brothers" the little ones replied, hugging Ratchet. Ratchet was relieved.

Elsewhere in the Autobot base, Wingspan wasn't feeling so hot. He couldn't place it. Feeling like he was a freak, he went to Mirage, as Wingspan had always learned that Mirage would listen to the young seeker. Wingspan sought out Mirage, who was at home with all the little ones.

Wingspan knocked on the door and Mirage let him in. "Come in, Wingspan" Mirage greeted the bot he saw as a younger brother warmly.

"Wow, you guys have a large family" spanner said, having been more unaware of recent developments.

"Well, Optimus sparked five, then I sparked three after having been forcibly taken, and then we adopted two after the battle at the ancient city of Ion. And of course, you knew of our first two" Mirage explained how their brood had grown from two to a dozen seemingly overnight.

Wingspan nodded. "Can I talk to you Mirage?" Wingspan asked.

"Sure, how can I help you?" Mirage answered, keeping one optic on the little ones.

"Well… it goes like this.." Wingspan started and then explained how he was feeling and such. Mirage listened, not offering any advice until Spanner was done. "…I feel like a freak of nature. What is wrong with me?"

"If you had to ask me, I would say you are sparked and carrying life inside of you. Now I can't say that for sure, as I am no medic, but much of what you describe are signs of carrying little ones in your sparkling development chamber" Mirage replied, hoping he didn't spook the highly anxious seeker.

Wingspan looked to Mirage to see if Mirage was joking with the seeker, but all the seeker saw was that Mirage was being serious. "You… you really think I might be sparked?" he asked.

"I think so, but there is only one way to know for sure – a thorough medical exam by either First Aid or Ratchet" Mirage replied.

Though Wingspan didn't like the sound of it, he had to agree. "Alright, I will go to the med bay. Thanks for listening, Mirage."

"You are welcome. Now remember, if you find you are sparked, make sure you tell mama and your mate and make sure Ratchet or First Aid tell Optimus" Mirage stated.

"Why does Optimus have to know?" Wingspan asked.

"Because if you are sparked, you can't fight or you will lose your little ones. If Optimus doesn't know, he may accidentally put you in the line of danger never knowing he shouldn't do it" Mirage stated and then it made sense.

"Ok, thanks" Wingspan stated and soon left for the med bay. In a way, he hoped Mirage was right and in a way, he hoped Mirage was wrong. He hoped Mirage was right as it would explain why he felt the way he did. He hoped Mirage was wrong because Wingspan didn't feel ready to be a mother to sparklings.

Wingspan entered the med bay. "Ratchet or First Aid? You in here?"

Ratchet was in and soon came to meet the young seeker. "What brings you in, Wingspan?" Ratchet asked.

"Well…" Wingspan stated and then informed the medic of what he had been feeling and that the seeker had talked to Mirage. "Mirage sent me here, thinking I was sparked. Can you tell me if I am or not?"

Ratchet wasn't stunned but tried not to sigh in front of the anxious bot. "Up on the med bay berth" Ratchet stated. Wingspan did as he was told and waited for the results. Ratchet scanned the seeker. He was hoping he wouldn't find sparklings, but luck was not with the old medic. Ratchet scanned several times to be sure. "Yep. Mirage was right. You are sparked, with triplets" Ratchet said nonchalantly, this was not what they needed. Wingspan, hearing the truth, passed out in total shock. This was so not what he had expected as he hadn't known that he had just gone through seeker heat and that this was almost always a result of that.

Ratchet commed Optimus. "Ratchet to Prime, come in Prime."

"Prime here, go ahead Ratchet"

"Wingspan is to be on duty only at the base"

"Why is that Ratchet?" Optimus asked.

"Because Wingspan is sparked, Prime. I can't allow a sparked bot to fight"

"Understood. Thanks for the update. Optimus out."

Ratchet ended the comm, hoping that soon this constant finding bots sparked would slow a bit. Only once Prime was alerted did Ratchet comm Hot Rod and Jazz. Ratchet was going to be in for an earful when those two reached the med bay. For now, Ratchet just hooked up Wingspan to a drip and waited.


	46. Chapter 46

Several months down the road, after many major battles and really no progress on either side to restore or destroy Cybertron, Ratchet was in the med bay, even though he was heavily sparked and First Aid didn't want the older medic in there as Ratchet was due any day now.

"Ratchet, you have to stop. You could spark any minute" Aid stated, he was not going to let this drop.

"Can it, Aid. I will work as long as I feel able to and nothing…." Ratchet started to say before pain interrupted his train of thought.

"nothing what?" Aid demanded to know before he realized that Ratchet had stopped due to pain. "Ratchet, you ok?"

"I…ow…OW!…. don't know" Ratchet managed to get out between bursts of pain. His twins were coming now. HE cursed a blue streak. This was much more pain they he had ever been in before.

"Alright, Mr-I'm-a-medics-so-I don't-follow-my-own-advice, up on the berth" Aid commanded. Ratchet, for once, did as told as the pain was getting to be too much. Aid commed Jack and then prepared to help Ratchet. Jack had to find a place for the older twins before he could come to the med bay. HE ended up leaving them with Illusion, who was free at the time, and headed for the med bay.

As Jack entered, he could hear his mate cursing and swearing in pain. Jack wasn't exactly surprised, as Jack had heard the cursing before – whenever Ratchet got intoxicated on high grade. Jack walked in to where Ratchet and Aid were.

"Bout damn time you showed up" Ratchet angrily said between contractions.

"Had to take care of our others twins first, grumpy" Jack replied, a bit miffed that the medic had forgotten about the older two that they had taken in.

"Enough, first one is coming" Aide called out. Ratchet let out a loud yell as the little lambo mechling came forth. His coloration was red.

"Well, what a cutie. I think we'll call him Sideswipe" Jack stated. Aid quickly checked over the little one then set it down in a specially made med bay crib berth for new sparklings. Ratchet was still in pain, as the next one was ready to come out as well, seeming to cause as much pain as it possibly could.

"Alright, here comes the second one" Aid stated. It was another lambo mechling, but this little one was yellow in color.

"Sunstreaker" Jack stated, "as his yellow coloration makes me think of the sun."

If he could have, ratchet would have rolled his optics. But then he felt something strange – as if he wasn't done.

Aid was worried. "What the…?" He asked as a last mechling came forth.

Jack was stunned. NO one had seen that Ratchet was carrying triplets, but then since Ratchet had self-scanned, it was possible he had missed the third one. "I think we'll call this mechling Bluestreak" Jack uttered.

Ratchet, slightly embarrassed, could only nod as he was exhausted from sparking the little ones.

"Welcome to the world Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, and Bluestreak. I'm your father" jack stated softly as he stroked each little sparkling. Each sparkling cooed at his name. Ratchet just crashed into recharge.

Aid smiled. "I have a feeling this won't be the last time those three cause Ratchet trouble" Aid stated.

Jack smiled back. "Trouble or not, they are our sons and we wouldn't trade them for anything."

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Illusion was watching Ratchet and Jack's twins when Wingspan, wanting practice with sparklings, took them. Illusion was grateful, as this now gave him a chance to go out a seek a mate.

Illusion was careful, as he knew he would be wanted by many bots because of his illusionary powers. He also was built slender like his twin Mirage. He knew one thing, after the way he saw how his mother had treated them, he wanted nothing to do with a femme mate. That left only mechs. Illusion sighed, this was not going to be easy.

Illusion was heading through the base and as he did so, he seemed to draw a lot of attention. While most bots knew who he was, they had no idea he was related to Mirage and therefore, Optimus. He got a few cat calls. He always did from mechs who thought he was a femme until he turned around and glared at them. That usually stopped them.

Illusion headed to the rec room, knowing many bots relaxed in there. He just hoped he wouldn't get hit on – again. He carefully entered, scanning the room quickly. Thankfully, the mech who always hit on him wasn't there, as that bot was on a mission from Optimus. Illusion relaxed a bit as he entered. He greeted various bots, seemingly unaware that he had attracted the attention of Buster.

Buster, the young mining bot who had lost his father just over a year or so ago, noticed the handsome bot entering the rec room. He decided to go over and at least say hi. "Hi, I'm Buster" Buster stated warmly.

"Illusion" Illusion stated.

"Is that what you do or your name?" Buster asked in all honesty.

"Both" Illusion replied. "My given name is Illusion and I have illusionary abilities."

Buster sighed, figuring this bot would reject the mining bot. "I see" Buster remarked.

Illusion turned to look at this bot. Buster was a looker, but Illusion could see that Buster feared that Illusion would reject the former mining bot due to the old class system. "Say, would you like to sit down and get to know each other better?" Illusion offered.

Buster's helm shot up at that. "You…you want to get to know me?" Buster asked, completely and utterly shocked.

Illusion nodded. "And I want you to get to know me, as few try to get to know me for more than my abilities." The pair headed off to a more private place. Both just hoped the other wouldn't run once the other got to know him.


	47. Chapter 47

Finally alone and without any other bots around, Illusion and Buster were finally able to talk freely. Buster couldn't believe that a bot like Illusion would even give the former mining bot a chance. Illusion sensed the fear.

"Buster, I feel I must tell you something. You need to know. My twin and I, though sparked as Tower bots, were not treated well by our creators. They were abusive. When the Towers of Iacon were struck by the cons, my twin and I survived, but our creators did not, thankfully. However, because of our illusionary abilities, the cons wanted us. IN order to escape them, we ran to the area where the pleasure bots and other "rejected" bots lived and were kindly taken in at first by one of the pleasure bots, who helped us until we found a home with a bot named Jazz and his son, Wingspan" Illusion said. "So please, don't think of me as a tower bot, even though I was sparked one. Please just think of me as a regular bot who wants to make Cybertron a good place for all bots to live freely."

Buster was a bit stunned. He had figured that Illusion had been sparked an upper-class bot, but Illusion certainly didn't act like most upper-class bots Buster had met. Illusion acted like he was just another bot fighting for Cybertron and freedom for all Cybertronians. "Wow" Buster finally said. He wasn't sure what else to say.

Illusion looked to the mech, as the illusionary bot wanted to see if the response was one of shock or otherwise. Illusion could clearly see it was one of shock and that Buster wasn't sure what to say next. Illusion was relieved, as Illusion could feel his spark jolting left and right around this bot.

"Buster, I have to be honest. My spark jolts and skips pulses around you. It has never done that with any other bot, mech or femme. I am curious, are you feeling the same as I?" Illusion asked, hoping his spark wasn't lying to him.

Buster nodded. "Mine reacts the same to being around you" Buster freely admitted.

"My quarters aren't close by, but they are roomy" Illusion said.

"My quarters aren't close by either, but I think both of us in them wouldn't be a good idea, as I asked for smaller quarters after my father died" Buster stated.

"I am sorry to hear about your father. I hear he was a great bot" Illusion stated, having heard that from older bots who weren't necessarily mining bots but knew Buster's father.

"Yeah, he was a good bot. I was stunned but so happy when Optimus gave him a proper entombment. It meant I had a safe place to go visit his grave" Buster stated.

Now Illusion was confused. "Don't all bots get proper entombment?" Illusion asked.

"Under Optimus, yes. Under other Primes, it depended on your class. I know for a fact that many times Sentinel, if a mining bot died while in the mine, just left the bot's body there to rust while the rest of us still had to work in the mine" Buster stated. Illusion wasn't happy to hear about what past Primes did, but he was happy to hear that Optimus had made changes.

"Optimus is a good Prime" Illusion stated, not mentioning that Mirage, Illusion's twin, was mated to Optimus.

"Yes, Optimus has been a good Prime. He told me if I needed anything after my father passed, I could ask him."

"That sounds like Optimus, caring for all those he protects as well as those who serve under him" Illusion stated. "But enough about that…." Illusion uttered as he leaned over to kiss Buster. Buster eagerly kissed back. It didn't take long for romantic kisses to lead to not only the pair being bonded but also Illusion being sparked with as of yet unknown amount of sparklings, as while Mirage was typically set for twins, a glitch in Illusion's systems meant he could have any number at once, well any reasonable number except the number one.

Elsewhere, Mirage and Optimus were watching their own brood and getting to know each and every one of the unique personalities. Keeper was so much like a little Optimus it wasn't funny while Flasher was almost like a little Mirage. Both Flasher and Keeper seemed to work alongside with Kryptonight and Slugbug to help care for the younger ones. Silverstreak and Luckystar seemed to like to fight with each other while Peacemaker liked to sleep. Bluesky and Spearmint played together nicely, but without the mechs. The three seekerlings joined in whatever piqued their interest. Needless to say, Seaspan, Bluefire and their triplet brother caused all kinds of mayhem, especially since all three could not only appear invisible like Mirage, they also could all warp to wherever they wanted. Optimus and Mirage seemed to have their hands full, though they did get some help from other bots in the family.

Meanwhile, at the Con base, Megatron had managed to get the three seekers that had been sparked to Starscream to grow up into seekers just like Megatron had forced Starscream and his brothers to grow up into adults. Megatron didn't realize that this forced growing up was part of what made Starscream so rebellious, though Megatron didn't really care either. All he wanted was more soldiers that would do his bidding. Now, he at least had three more deadly seekers.

In another room, Soundwave was experimenting on the femme. Megatron trusted almost none of his soldiers, but Soundwave seemed to be an exception. His telepathy and knowledge of certain things scientifically seemed to make him the perfect bot to try and force this gunforming femme to grow up faster. Megatron kept a close watch on what was done, as he did want to make sure that this feisty and dangerous looking femme was not destroyed. He was pleased to see that Soundwave was actually getting somewhere, though Megatron was annoyed that it still was taking forever. He just hoped she would be ready soon.


	48. Chapter 48

A few days later, Mirage was searching for his twin, Illusion. Mirage had left his little ones with Hide and Orion after the pair begged to have them. Mirage was relieved, as he needed to see what his brother had been up to as Mirage hadn't been able to get ahold of Illusion the last couple of days, as Illusion even ignored their twin link.

"I hope he's ok" Mirage said to himself as he looked to find where his twin was, as Mirage had already checked in with Jazz and Prowl as well as Wingspan and Hot Rod. Mirage was a bit surprised when he realized Wingspan had bonded, but Mirage wished Wingspan and Hot Rod the best. Mirage was getting worried.

"Something wrong, sir?" A small young femme asked Mirage.

"I am searching for my brother. His name is Illusion. I have looked at his usual spots but haven't been able to find him." Mirage stated, his voice even showing concern.

"Could you describe him for me?" She asked gently. She had seen a few mechs she didn't know well recently and was curious. Mirage described his twin. The femme was in shock, as she had seen that bot none too long ago. "Sir, I saw a bot matching that description in the secondary rec room a little while ago. He was with another bot I did know – Buster."

Mirage nodded. He had heard of Buster from Optimus. Buster was the son of the old mining bot who had passed just after the war began. But Mirage wasn't sure how to get to this "secondary rec room." "Thank you for telling me, but would mind showing me how to get there?" Mirage asked nicely, seeing that the young femme had been nice with him.

"Sure" She replied and led him right to the room. It was definitely different from the regular rec room, but Mirage had learned not to judge.

"Thank you" Mirage told the young femme who soon left. Mirage scanned the room. He wasn't sure what Buster and Illusion were doing here, but he was concerned if his twin was ok. Far in the back corner, Mirage finally spotted his twin and made his way over. Thankfully for Mirage, most of the bots in the room knew that Optimus had a mate named Mirage but they had no clue what the bot looked like. IT served Mirage well as he moved through the room.

As Mirage got closer, Illusion spotted his twin. Mirage looked angry, but Illusion sensed it was more – not anger but concern. Buster just watched, not sure what to expect.

"Illusion?" Mirage asked.

"Bro" Illusion replied, as he rarely called his brother by name. "What's wrong?"

"I was concerned about you. I haven't been able to get a hold of you in several days and you are nowhere to be found. What do you think that makes me think?" Mirage asked, concern evident in his voice.

Illusion sighed when he heard that. HE hadn't realized that he had been virtually ignoring his twin. "I think you, Buster and I should go elsewhere and talk" Illusion stated. Mirage merely nodded, as this area was too loud to really talk in.

They soon headed for a private area, away from prying optics. "Please, Illusion, just tell me the truth" Mirage uttered.

Illusion nodded, preparing to tell what had happened. "Well…a few nights ago, my spark led me down the rec room. I wasn't sure why, but I knew I needed to follow my spark. When I got to the rec room, many bots were there and some were cat calling me. You know I hate that. Well, as they were cat calling me, Buster came up, and told them to knock it off. They stopped after that, and Buster and I started talking. One thing led to another and now we are spark mates" Illusion stated, telling his story.

"Is this true?" Mirage asked Buster, wanting to make sure it was,

"Yes, sir" Buster answered. Illusion was not exactly happy with his twin at this point, but said nothing.

"So Illusion is finally off the market, huh" Mirage joked, his optics smiling.

Buster was caught off guard, but Illusion realized what his twin was saying – Mirage was accepting the bond and the bot that Illusion had bonded to. "Yep, I belong to Buster alone" Illusion replied, smile evident.

"Well, welcome to the family" Mirage stated, still failing to introduce himself.

"Thank you, but who are you, anyway?" Buster asked.

"I am Illusion's twin – Mirage" Mirage stated, waiting to see what would happen. Buster didn't react at first as he had to figure out where that name sounded familiar from. It took a few seconds and then it dawned on Buster – Mirage was the mate of Optimus who had helped to properly entomb Buster's father and was the current Prime. Though not known for doing so, Buster passed out in utter shock.

"Bro, you have to stop doing that" Illusion stated, knowing his mate was ok, but Mirage was having too much fun.

"I never said I was trying to hide my identity from him" Mirage stated.

"But you could've had approached this in a better way" Illusion retorted.

"I have accepted him and welcomed him to our family, what more do you ask of me?" Mirage asked, starting to get upset. Illusion realized he had pushed Mirage a bit too far.

"Nothing, 'raj. You have already given the greatest gift – the gift of acceptance and love of the family" Illusion replied.

Mirage smiled and hugged his twin. "I am glad you are safe and that you are happy" Mirage stated. Those words alone made Illusion feel like he was on top of the world. Mirage soon left. He needed to go tell Optimus about the newest edition to the family. Illusion remained by his mate as Buster slowly came to. Illusion hoped that Buster wouldn't do this when Illusion introduced Buster to the Prime. Only time would tell.


	49. Chapter 49

A week or so later, things were going to go a bit haywire. After one particularly nasty battle, Optimus suffered a wound to his helm. The Autobots had managed to carry him back to the safety of the Autobot base and he was still online, but no one yet realized what he would be like when he woke. Mirage was a constant visitor to the med bay, hoping that soon Optimus would come to and hoping that Optimus would be alright.

"I've fixed what I can Mirage" Ratchet stated, it was little comfort, but Ratchet felt obligated to say it. "Now it is up to him."

Mirage sighed. "I hope he comes around soon. Our dozen little sparklings and I miss him" Mirage replied.

Suddenly, Optimus started coming around, but Mirage knew instantly something was wrong. "Where am I?" Optimus said, sounding like Orion Pax. Mirage tried not to show it, but Mirage was fearful of what would happen now.

"You are in the med bay, baby, you got hurt" Mirage replied, talking like he always did when Optimus played little Orion in their room.

"I am? Am I sparked?" little Orion asked.

"No" Mirage replied, "You were hurt, in battle"

"I don't fight, I just give pleasure" Orion replied. Now Mirage was really worried. He looked to the medic.

"Alright…" Ratchet stated and he scanned Optimus. There were a few crossed wires, but nothing he could repair without killing the bot. They would have to repair on their own. "Mirage, I can't fix him. Only time can."

Mirage didn't like the sound of that, but he knew he would have to be strong. "Ratchet, could you please comm Jazz and Orion here? I need to speak with them urgently." Mirage had learned a short time ago that while Prowl did not know Optimus' history, Jazz did.

Orion just watched as Ratchet did as Mirage asked. Orion felt safe in the med bay so long as Mirage was there.

Soon, Jazz and Orion came to the med bay. Before seeing Mirage, Ratchet updated them on the Prime's condition. IT was only then that both understood why. Jazz and Orion entered the secured area.

"MAMA!: Optimus eagerly shouted, worrying Mirage, Jazz, and Orion.

"Hush, now my little one" the elder Orion said, "You need help."

"I do?" Little Orion asked.

"Yes, little one. I will help, but your sweet Mirage will have to help you most of the time" Orion stated. Little Orion nodded.

Mirage spoke with Jazz. "I think you need to be acting Prime until Optimus returns to us" Mirage stated, knowing Optimus put a lot of trust in Jazz.

"Agreed. I will also take some of the sparklings off your hands. Orion agreed to take the youngest eight. Prowl and I will take the oldest four – you know Keeper, Flasher, Slugbug and Kryptonight" Jazz stated.

Mirage nodded, relieved. "I just hope he snaps out of this soon" Mirage stated.

"We all do, take care, Mirage, and remember, if you need help you can always ask Orion, Hide, Illusion, Prowl, Wingspan, and I for help."

"I will remember that, thanks" Mirage stated, starting to feel a little better.

Jazz and Orion soon left the med bay, heading to take the sparklings. The younger eight were no problem to take, as they were too young to know better. The older four sensed something.

"Where are mommy and daddy?" Flasher asked Jazz.

"Your daddy is sick and mommy has to care for him. Your mommy asked that I care for you four until daddy is better" Jazz stated in a way that the young ones would understand. The four nodded and headed out with Jazz.

Back in the med bay, Mirage was preparing to head home with his mate. Little Orion looked eager to get out of the med bay for more reasons than one. "Alright sweetheart, in order to get home, we need to play a game" Mirage stated.

"What game?" Little Orion.

"It's called the quiet game. Whoever can get to the room without making a sound wins" Mirage stated. He was doing this so that no one heard Optimus speak in a way that was less than the Prime. Mirage didn't want Optimus' leadership to suffer because of this. Optimus/Orion was eager to play. He liked pretending and playing games.

As they headed out, Mirage took many back ways to their quarters, which meant they really saw no other bots. They got home and Mirage entered the code. Once inside, Mirage spoke first.

"I win!" little Orion said, "You talked first!"

Mirage nodded and smiled, hoping and praying that this little fiasco would only last for a short time.

Meanwhile, Elsewhere, Illusion wasn't feeling so good. He wasn't sure what it was that was bothering him and so he went to the med bay. Ratchet was there, cleaning up after Orion had made a bit of a mess in the med bay.

"Ratchet? You here?" Illusion asked, still feeling like crud.

"I am. What is wrong?"

"I don't feel good" Illusion stated.

"That's kind of a broad statement. Can you be a little more specific about your symptoms?" Ratchet asked, hoping this was just a virus.

"Well…." Illusion started and began listing symptom after symptom of what a sparked bot typically has when sparked.

Ratchet sighed. HE went to get the deep scanner, and he expected to maybe find twins if Illusion was sparked, as Prowl was a tower bot and had twins as was Mirage. What Ratchet didn't know, was that Illusion had a slight glitch in where he would always carry between 2 and 6 sparklings, depending on things. Ratchet scanned and was a bit alarmed when he got four beeps on the machine. He scanned many times and got the same result. "Well, Illusion, you are sparked" Ratchet stated, waiting for the clank of a passed-out bot.

Illusion blushed and turned many colors of red. He hadn't expected that, but he welcomed it. "Thank you, Ratchet. I shall go tell my mate."

"You bonded?" Ratchet asked.

"Yep, to a sweet mech named Buster" Illusion replied.

Ratchet nodded. "Good, it will be better for them and you." Illusion raced out of the med bay, as he had to tell his mate the exciting news. Ratchet just laughed. Truly, Illusion was one of a kind.


	50. Chapter 50

Illusion raced back to his quarters. He was happy to hear that he was sparked. He hoped Buster was home. Illusion ran into the quarters, eager to find his mate.

"Whoa… where's the fire?" Buster asked, nearly getting run over by his overly excited mate.

"No fire…. I'm sparked!" Illusion replied, big grin on his face, optics glowing.

Buster smiled. "Ratchet or Aid tell you that?"

"Ratchet. The machine beeped four times. I think that means I am carrying for little ones" Illusion stated, still happy about the news.

Buster was happy too. "Wow. I didn't realize you would carry so many" Buster stated.

Illusion then grew concerned. "You… you don't want them?" Illusion asked.

"That is not what I am saying, love. I do want them, I just didn't want to overwhelm you" Buster replied, using a big finger to lift Illusion's face up. "I just want you happy."

Illusion felt the touch and nuzzled the finger. "Sorry…my emotions seem to be getting the best of me."

"It's ok. We can do this. You will just have to be careful" Buster stated.

"Um…. About that…" Illusion stated.

"Yes, love?"

"I… I am supposed to run a spy mission tomorrow" Illusion mentioned.

"Like pit you are. I want to talk to whoever assigns you. You aren't going, not since you are sparked" Buster stated, and he made some comms, not even realizing that he was talking to family and bots who far outranked him. Buster finally got transferred to Jazz.

"Jazz here, hwo may I assist you?" Jazz answered.

"Jazz, my name is Buster. My mate Illusion is sparked and he has been assigned to go on a secret spy mission tomorrow. I am not sure who I talk to, but I don't want him going" Buster reported.

Jazz listened. He didn't realize that Illusion had bonded, but when he heard Illusion was sparked, Jazz knew just what to do. He knew Optimus would never send out a sparked bot and so Jazz reassigned Illusion so that Illusion would not be sent on anymore secret spy missions deep in the con base. "He is now off the duty roster. But I am going to check with the medic to make sure this is a legit" Jazz stated.

"By all means" Buster stated and he got off the comm.

Jazz commed Ratchet. "Ratchet, tell me truly, is Illusion indeed sparked?"

"Yes, Jazz. He is. He is carrying four little ones. He raced out of here before I could tell him he was medically declared off duty. I had another bot to see or I would have commed you sooner to inform you of the fact" Ratchet stated.

"Ratchet, off the record, how long have Illusion and Buster been bonded?"

"I didn't even know the bots name Illusion was bonded to until you just mentioned it. I know nothing further. If you want more I suggest you go talk to your adopted son yourself. Ratchet out"

Jazz didn't like that last part but he knew it was true. If he wanted to find out all the facts, he was going to have to talk to Illusion. Life seemed to have just become more complicated for the temporary leader.

Meanwhile, Mirage was doing his best to help Optimus, but it seemed like most of the time, all Orion wanted to do was interface. Mirage was growing a bit weary of it, and hoped that Optimus would soon return.

"Mirage?" Little Orion carefully asked, sensing something in Mirage after all the fun that they had had that afternoon.

"Yes, Orion?" Mirage answered, it came out sounding a little terser than Mirage had wished, but blast it all he was tired and in pain.

"Is…. is something wrong?" Orion asked, sadness in his optics, as he figured it had something to do with him and his needs.

Mirage admitted that there were times that Mirage hated it that Optimus knew how to read the illusionist like a data pad. This was one of those times. "Orion, my sweet, I easily tire of having some many interfacing sessions. My model was not built like yours. Tonight, since I am sore, how about we just snuggle?"

Orion pouted a bit. He wanted to practice interfacing again, but the mention of snuggling brought a smile to Orion's face, as he loved snuggling. "Ok" Optimus/Orion said with youthful eagerness. Mirage was relieved, as Mirage seemed to ache everywhere as Optimus/Orion had tried multiple kinds of interfacing without preparing Mirage like Mirage needed to be prepared. Some areas still burned on the illusionist, hence he wasn't in a mood to interface. Optimus/Orion, who loved snuggling almost as much if not more than interfacing, was quickly asleep wrapped in his mate's loving arms. Mirage dozed, aware enough that if something were to happen, he could respond quickly.

Meanwhile, Megatron had succeeded in getting the new seekers into his army. He had programmed them to follow orders. For now, since they still had the desire to please their "creator" they followed his commands, doing as they were told. Megatron once again failed to realize that while a bot's body can physically grow fast, the spark and mind take longer. HE didn't realize that they were obedient now because they thought like sparklings and sparklings behaved for their creator.

The one thing that still boiled Megatron's energon was that the femme gunformer was still remaining in her sparkling body. Nothing seemed able to manipulate her age. He was infuriated as he wanted her as a soldier. Things were not working out, yet he wasn't willing to scrap her just yet. He had one more trick up his sleeve – he would capture a bot to raise the brat in the way he wanted. Now he just had to find the perfect grown femme to force into doing this. He would make sure the femme who he would pick would only do as Megatron asked. Megatron wanted things done only his way and his way alone.


	51. Chapter 51

Meanwhile, as Mirage was doing his best not to reveal who Optimus had been before being Prime, Jazz was getting a bit overwhelmed. He hadn't realized just how much Optimus had taken on to keep them all safe. He was missing his family and decided this night that unless there was an emergency, he was not to be disturbed. The bots acknowledged the acting Prime's command. Jazz headed home, not knowing what may await him there.

At the quarters, Prowl had sent all the little ones off to Wingspan and Hot Rod, as the two weren't busy and also had seen how hard Jazz had been working. Wingspan was touched that Prowl wanted ot do something special for Jazz.

Prowl cleaned the quarters and set everything just the way Jazz would have loved it. Prowl even put on some old music that while Prowl didn't care for it, he knew Jazz loved it. Prowl had also obtained special energon, the kind Jazz liked best and then made a few other preparations for the arrival of Jazz. Prowl could only hope his mate wasn't too tired for the surprise.

Jazz stumbled a bit on his way home. He was low on fuel and had been for a few hours. He hoped to find something at home before all the little ones needed his attention. However, as Jazz drew nearer to his quarters, it sounded quiet – too quiet, except for some soft music playing. Jazz couldn't quite make out the tune, but he grew worried. He quickly entered his code and then entered the quarters. He was stunned by how they looked.

Prowl just watched and waited. He hoped Jazz would love this, but Prowl could never be sure, especially since they now had more little ones.

Jazz was stunned. "P…Prowler… you here?" Jazz asked, looking around.

"I am, my love" Prowl responded softly, carefully approaching Jazz.

"What is all of this? Where are the sparklings?" jazz asked, worried.

"Wingspan agreed to take our little ones when I explained to him that I wanted to do something special for you, my love. You have been working so hard since the Prime has been sick. It was time to take care of you" Prowl stated.

Jazz's optics filled with happy tears. His mate had done this for him. "Wow…" was all Jazz could get out through his happy tears.

"Come, energon is waiting, prepared just the way you like it" Prowl stated, leading his mate to the table that had been set, one of Jazz's favorite tunes playing in the background. Jazz was so stunned that Prowl had to start feeding jazz energon at first before Jazz took over himself. This was beyond jazz's wildest imaginations for being pampered, especially since he knew he was bonded to the biggest "tight aft" at the base.

After the energon, Prowl led Jazz to a warm cleanser shower, to help clean the bot off before the next step. Jazz just let himself be pampered by his mate, curious as where this all was headed. Prowl made sure Jazz was thoroughly clean before leading the bot into a nice warm oil bath for relaxing and helping with joint issues. Jazz almost melted right then and there as the pain he had had in his joints seemed to subside. Jazz felt like he was in heaven.

Prowl made sure the warm oil got to all of Jazz's joints, especially the ones that seemed to ache Jazz so. Soon, though, it was time to exit the warm oil. Jazz was very tired after the pampering, but he was also getting warm. Prowl knew what was needed, and began a gentle, slow interfacing session. Prowl hadn't known if this would happen or not, but judging by the way Jazz reacted, Jazz had needed this as bad as Prowl. During the face session, both released their sparks, and this time, Jazz became sparked. As they came down from interfacing bliss, they snuggled into each other and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, having plundered many outlying citadels, Megatron finally found a femme he would consider suitable for raising the bratty femme whose programming refused to be forcibly changed to grow up. The only problem was that the femme was not compliant to what Megatron wanted. Megatron smirked, as he had ways to deal with that. He had reprogrammed other bots to be evil and figured this femme would be no different. Megatron watched as Soundwave reprogrammed the adult femme so that she would be more obedient to the Decepticon cause. Only once Megatron was thoroughly sure that this femme was obedient to his demands did he allow her access to the young femme.

"She is to be raised to be a Decepticon warrior. You know what that means thanks to your programming. And remember, if you fail, you die" Megatron told the femme.

"Yes, my Lord. Failure is not an option" Crystal replied, her deep red optics replacing the blue ones she had before her reprogramming.

"Failure will cost you and your young charge dearly. Remember that" Megatron hissed.

"Yes, my lord" she replied, heading off to do as instructed. Megatron would keep a close optic, as he knew femmes were not to be entirely trusted.

Back at the Autobot base, Mirage playing a game with his mate in their quarters. It was a game that they had played before they had bonded. Optimus often won, though a few of those times, it was because Mirage let him. Optimus was just so happy to play he didn't realize it. "Well, looks like you won again, baby" Mirage stated.

"I did! Yay for me" Orion stated, happy to be doing things. Mirage was just glad he had found things that they could do that didn't include any form of interfacing. Mirage could still only hope the leader would come back soon.

" 'Raj worried?" Orion asked cutely.

"No, not worried, just concerned about you, love?"

"Me?" Orion asked.

"Yes, you see, you are supposed to be our leader, but I can't let you lead if all you want to do is interface" Mirage stated honestly.

IT was only then that Orion realized why he hadn't seen anyone else in so long. Mirage was protecting him from the others. "Optimus will be back soon" Orion stated, feeling it inside him, as the Matrix repaired the damage.

"I hope you are right love. I love you, but I also love Optimus" Mirage stated. Orion snuggled, he alone knowing it wouldn't be much longer before he would return.


	52. Chapter 52

Elsewhere in the base, Wingspan and Hot Rod enjoyed the time they had with all the sparklings, both Wingspan's siblings and the sparklings from Optimus and Mirage that Jazz and Prowl had been watching. Both were learning so much about taking care of sparklings.

Kryptonight soon came up to Wingspan. "Please, rub my wings, they hurt" Kryptonight asked nicely, not realizing that the other seeker knew next to nothing about wing rubbing.

Wingspan wasn't sure about this. HE knew at times his own wings hurt and that a very touchy feely interfacing seemed to help. But this was new. "Rub your wings?" Wingspan asked, trying to do as asked.

"Yeah, dad used to say, when your wings hurt, they need to be rubbed or "tuned" as he called it. Don't your wings ever bother you?" Krypto asked. Bug came over as well, as he could tell Wingspan wasn't very experienced with this.

"They do, but…" Wingspan stated, not sure how to finish it.

"I can help you, Wingspan" Slugbug stated and he helped Wingspan rub Kryptonight's wings until Krypto fell into recharge.

"Is he ok?" Wingspan asked, worried.

"He's fine. When his wings are rubbed the right way, that is what happens. He will be up and around in a while" Bug stated. "Can I help you rub yours?" Bug asked.

Wingspan was a bit hesitant. "How do you know so much?" Wingspan asked.

"Our father was a seeker and he taught both of us what seekers need. I think he knew he wouldn't be around long to help us" Bug stated, and then climbed up on the couch to help rub Wingspan's wings. Hot Rod came over and watched close. He wanted to know this too. "Please, Hot Rod, join in and I will help guide you"

Hot Rod did as asked, and soon Wingspan was purring loudly. Hot Rod knew that purr wasn't related to interfacing as it sounded different. Wingspan was amazed. His wings knew they needed this and now that he was getting it, he was in heaven. Bug and Hot Rod kept going until not only was Kryptonight out, but Wingspan also was out cold.

"Teach me more" Hot Rod begged of Bug.

"I can only teach you what little I know" Bug replied and taught the other grounder what Bug knew of Seekers. Hot Rod was amazed.

"Thank you, Slugbug" Hot Rod stated, with a genuine smile.

"You are welcome."

Elsewhere on the base, Mirage was fast asleep as watching over Orion had been tiring. Optimus was snuggled up close for the moment, but soon something hit him. The Matrix had repaired his wires and Optimus realized he was now back at full capacity. Optimus was careful not to wake Mirage and headed for the med bay. He remembered this time, at least, that he had to be medically cleared before returning to duty. Optimus headed for the med bay alone, standing tall like a Prime would.

In the med bay, Ratchet was organizing things as Aid had let a few things slide on time and now Ratchet was playing catch up. "Ratchet, you in here?" Prime asked, sounding like Optimus.

"Back here, Prime, what did you need?" Ratchet replied, having a good idea.

"I desire to be medically able to return to duty" Optimus stated.

"Let me examine you thoroughly" Ratchet retorted. Ratchet knew by the way Optimus was acting that the Prime had returned to his usual senses and Orion was hiding in the background, but something seemed off to the medic. Ratchet sighed and decided to scan the Prime with the deep scanner. He found what he had hoped not to find. "Prime, I can allow you to return to being Prime, but I cannot allow you to fight" Ratchet stated.

"But I am Prime, I need to lead my men!" Optimus shouted. Thankfully, no other bots were in the med bay.

"Prime, is it not correct that you will not allow a sparked bot to fight on the front lines or go into the con base on a secret mission?"

"Yes, that is correct" Prime replied, wondering where this was going and how on Cybertron this had anything to do with him.

"Is it not also true you rely on my sound judgement to tell you who can and cannot be used in battle and dangerous missions?" Ratchet asked, knowing the answer but wanting to prove a point.

"Yes, that is true, but what does that all have to do with me?" Optimus stated, started to become annoyed with the old medic.

"Well, during your time off, you became sparked. Therefore, while I can allow you to return to being Prime, I cannot let you fight" Ratchet stated, waiting to see what would happen.

"Sp… Sparked?" Optimus asked.

"Yep, twins" Ratchet replied, causing the leader to pass out once again. It amazed and amused Ratchet somewhat. Here the Prime could survive nasty wounds and fight and watch bots pass on, but a little thing like being sparked or finding out what sparklings would be had made the Prime pass out. Ratchet waited for Optimus to come to.

"Ugh…" Optimus stated, hand on his helm that he had slightly bonked when he passed out.

"Welcome back, Prime. Now if you want to take over some of your role as Prime, you will have to talk to Jazz, as Mirage made him acting Prime while you were not yourself" Ratchet stated.

Optimus could only nod. He needed to get back to being Prime, that was what mattered now. HE would also have to apologize to his tired mate as well as tell his mate the news. Needless to say, Optimus had a full plate of issues to deal with.

Meanwhile, in the con base, Crystal was doing as told and taking care of the bratty femme sparkling. The little femme liked to push the older femme's buttons like nothing else. Crystal had to make sure she didn't hurt the young femme or else Megatron would terminate Crystal. The young femme did all she could to sabotage Crystal's efforts. The young gunformer truly was her father's daughter and it showed.


	53. Chapter 53

Optimus walked back to his quarters in a daze. He couldn't believe that he was carrying yet again. He knew that they already had a dozen sparklings and this would add two more, but he knew they could do it. Optimus quietly entered his quarters. Their other sparklings were still elsewhere as Optimus hadn't yet been "cleared" by the med bay. Optimus was relieved when Mirage was just rousing as Optimus came home.

"Baby doll?" Mirage asked, half-awake and expecting to be addressing Orion as Mirage figured that Optimus wouldn't return anytime soon.

"No, not baby doll, sweet spark" Optimus answered, sounding like Optimus.

"Beloved?" Mirage asked, suddenly more awake. He hadn't realized that the Matrix was working to restore Optimus.

"It's me, sweet spark. I went to see Ratchet in the med bay. I am cleared to be Prime again, but I am not cleared to fight or lead my troops into battle" Optimus told Mirage.

"Why aren't you allowed to lead your troops into battle? Aren't you the Prime? Don't you have to?" Mirage asked, curious as to what exactly was going on.

"I am still the Prime and I make all final decisions. However, Ratchet has banned me from being in battle" Optimus replied, leading his mate on a bit even though Optimus knew it bothered Mirage. Optimus wanted to make sure he was ready to tell Mirage that the Prime was sparked yet again.

"Why would Ratchet ban you from the battlefield?" Mirage asked, slightly annoyed. He hated playing guessing games with his mate. He wanted his mate to just come out and say whatever his mate was going to say.

"Because… Because …. I'm sparked" Optimus said, lowering his helm. He feared Mirage's reaction to the news.

"You are sparked?" Mirage asked, wanting to make sure he heard correctly. Optimus nodded, though still appeared concerned. "We are going to love these little ones like we love the all the little ones we already have" Mirage said, warmth, love, and acceptance in his voice.

Optimus looked to his mate, seeing if Mirage really meant what he said. Mirage's face showed that the illusionist had meant every word that he had said about accepting the new little ones to come. Optimus was relieved. "Thank you, sweet spark. Thank you for loving me" Optimus said, nuzzling Mirage.

"You are welcome, beloved. It will be an adjustment for us, but we will love them just the same" Mirage stated, nuzzling his mate back. "Now, I am a little tired and I have a bit of a processor ache. Would you mind if we just cuddled and snuggled tonight?"

Optimus smiled a huge smile, as he loved cuddle and snuggle time with MIrage. "That is just fine with me" Optimus stated, making sure to snuggle close to his mate. Mirage wrapped his arms around Optimus and both soon fell fast asleep, knowing that they could pick their little ones up the next day.

Meanwhile, Jazz woke up from the pampering his mate had given him. Jazz felt amazing after all of it. Since only Ratchet knew the Prime had been cleared and he hadn't commed Jazz yet, Jazz figured he was still acting Prime. But since he had asked not to be disturbed, he hadn't been disturbed. Jazz saw Prowl snuggled up close. Jazz didn't want to go back to work just yet. And so, he snuggled into his mate. Prowl, while still sleeping, pulled his mate closer. Neither still yet aware that Jazz was sparked.

Elsewhere in the base, Bluestreak, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had gone missing from the bot who was sitting them. Since Jack was in the lab and Ratchet was in the med bay, an advanced youngling had been called to watch over them. He had tried to keep them entertained, but they little triplets seemed to easily get bored. The youngling was scrambling to find them. HE was searching all over but still couldn't find them. The youngling swallowed hard as he had to call Ratchet.

"Sprite to Ratchet, come in Ratchet" Sprite stated.

"What do you need, Sprite. I am in the middle of something so this better be good" Ratchet replied.

"Sir, I've searched all over your quarters, I tried to find Bluestreak, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe, but I have been unable to locate them. Then I noticed a vent in your quarters that seems to have not been secured. I don't know where they are, but I am looking. Please help" Sprite stated, running everywhere around the quarters, trying to find the little ones.

Ratchet could hear that the bot was on the move and most likely looking, but that didn't stop Ratchet from becoming very upset at the bot. "How long have they been missing?" Ratchet asked in a calm and serious tone which belied his level of rage.

"Fifteen minutes, Ratchet, sir. I wanted to make sure I searched your quarters before calling you" Sprite stated. He feared what the medic might do to him if the little ones weren't found.

Ratchet was about to read the bot the riot act when he heard a strange sound. Ratchet didn't know it, but one of the med bay vents was loose as well. Ratchet went over to where the sounds were coming from, and out from the vent popped four sparklings – Ratchet's three plus Slugbug. "What is the meaning of this?" Ratchet asked.

"I found them in the vent system and knew that this vent led here. I don't know who they belong to, but I figured you would know" Slugbug stated, unaware he had led Ratchet's sparklings to their mother.

Ratchet was relieved. "thank you… what's your name?" Ratchet asked.

"Slugbug" bug replied.

"Thank you, Slugbug. Would you be willing to take them back to Sprite, he is supposed to be watching them?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes sir" Bud replied, happy to be getting out of the med bay.

As Slugbug left, Ratchet commed Sprite. "You are lucky, young bot. Slugbug, another sparkling, found them and led them to the med bay. I have sent them back with Slugbug. Pay closer attention next time" Ratchet told the bot.

"Yes sir" Sprite stated, and as he waited for the little ones to come, he fixed the loose vent grate.

"Here they are" Slugbug stated, coming soon after the grate was repaired.

"Thank you, Slugbug. Thank you so much" Sprite stated, in obvious relief. Bug was happy to have helped and soon left, needing to get back to his own family.


	54. Chapter 54

Soon, Optimus was back at being Prime. All the bots involved were relieved. It's not that they minded when Jazz took over for a bit, but something about the Prime made each bot feel important and that their assigned task was important to the mission no matter how big or small the assignment appeared. Jazz was just glad he didn't have to be the acting Prime any longer, as he had realized what a tough job it was and why Mirage often needed help from other family members.

"Jazz, why is Teletran one sounding?" Optimus asked as he heard the alert.

"Decepticons are attacking a remote post, Prime" Jazz replied.

"Jazz, I want you to stay and call out what Teletran one tells you. Hide, I need you to lead a team of Autobots to that remote post. We can't let Megatron win or he may discover the way into our base" Optimus stated. Hide and Jazz acknowledged what the Prime told them and Hide gathered a good team of Autobots to head out. No one questioned why Prime made this decision, as all had learned that Prime made decisions on what was best for each bot and the team.

Hide led his group, bolstered by Prime and Jazz, who informed him of what Teletran was blasting out about Con movements. Hide knew he would have to talk to Optimus about not coming after this little skirmish, as something seemed off, but Hide knew enough not to question Optimus' authority in front of other bots.

The Cons, who were minus Megatron, included the three new seekers that Megatron had forced to grow up. Each was deadly, just like Starscream and his brothers, but these seemed to be new to battling. Hide used that to his advantage and with help from the aerial bots, soon drove off the cons, who were forced to retreat. IT was a good day for the Autobots. They soon headed back home.

Hide sent his group that he had brought to the med bay to be checked out while he went to talk to the Prime. The others did as asked, as Prime had said that they were to follow Hide for this mission. Soon, Hide was alone.

"Prime, may I have a word with you in private?" Ironhide asked, his optics leaving no room for denying the request.

"Of course, Ironhide, we will have this discussion in my office" Optimus stated, knowing that to Jazz and Red Alert this would sound like a debriefing.

The pair headed off to the office and soon were there and closed inside the mostly soundproof office.

"Alright son, spill it" Hide started off.

"Spill what?" Optimus asked, not sure where this was going.

"Why didn't you come on that mission with us? You know as Prime it is your responsibility to lead the Autobots" Hided stated, not understanding.

"Don't you think I would have gone out there if I could've" Optimus stated, almost angrily, as he was having a mood swing.

"Don't get snappy with me. I can take you" Hide stated.

"And if you take me, you could hurt the sparklings I carry" Optimus stated, not able to hide the truth any longer thanks to the mood swing.

"Sparklings? You are carrying again?" Hide asked, stunned.

"Yes, while I was sick and not able to be myself, I got sparked. Ratchet has confirmed it and has medically denied me from being in any battle or skirmish" Optimus replied, tears early in his optics as his emotions were that out of whack. "I want to be a leader, to be out there with my men fighting, but I can't be right now and I hate it."

Hide was still a bit shocked but went over to the emotionally shot Prime. And just like a good father, Hide wrapped his arms around Prime and tried to calm the bot down. "It's ok. You made it through this once, I know you can do it again" Hide encouraged. He realized he had been out of line now that he knew the truth. "I'm sorry, son."

Optimus snuggled into the warm embrace. It may not have been Mirage or Orion, but right now, this was exactly what Optimus needed. "Forgiven" Optimus stated as he snuggled close, his emotions still everywhere. Hide felt better and continued to hug Optimus until the Prime seemed to come out of the mood swing.

"I will tell your mother" Hide stated, trying to help the Prime out.

"Thank you…. Father" Optimus stated in response. He was glad that Ironhide was such a good bot.

Elsewhere, in the Prime's quarters, Mirage was easily watching over the dozen sparklings they had, as Peacekeeper, Flasher, Slugbug, and Kryptonight were being really good helpers. Kryptonight was especially good with the three little seekerlings that were younger than him. Mirage was so glad that they had adopted the pair even though it meant more work for Mirage.

Slugbug sensed what Mirage felt and went to him. Mirage looked at the sparkling. "Did you need something, Slugbug?" Mirage asked, warmth and love in his voice.

Slugbug didn't say anything but gave Mirage a hug. Mirage smiled and returned the hug. Though Slugbug was a sparkling of few words, he showed his genuine love and appreciation through his actions. Mirage knew Slugbug was a special bot, though Mirage still didn't know just how special Bug really was. And to be honest, Mirage probably didn't care, as all his sparklings adopted or otherwise were special to the illusionist and that was all that mattered.

Meanwhile, back at the Con base, Megatron went after the three new seekers that had just failed their first mission. He beat them badly, just like he had done to Starscream and his brothers. The new seekers didn't understand what was going on but they didn't like the beatings. They only hoped that Megatron wouldn't off line them. They got lucky, as Starscream soon came around and announced that the diversion the three had created had worked and Starscream had obtained some energon from a different citadel. The three new seekers were relieved, having no clue that they had just been saved by their bearer. They just hoped that next time, whenever that came, they would succeed or next time they might be toast. Megatron was only mildly pleased. Curse those Autobots, he thought, they ruin everything.


	55. Chapter 55

Optimus, after Ironhide left, soon headed back to his room, grateful that Ironhide had helped the Prime through the rough mood swing. He needed to be with his mate – not in an interfacing way, but in a way that he felt supported, wanted, needed, and loved. Optimus passed many bots as he headed back to his quarters. Each addressed him with the respect he was due, due to his position. He greeted each bot by name, which impressed most that he seemed to remember almost every bot's name after having met them once, occasionally twice, but more often than not once.

He headed for home. He had commed ahead to his mate in hopes that Mirage would do something with the sparklings. And while Optimus thought Mirage would send them away, Mirage chose not to. Mirage sensed that Optimus needed the love and acceptance. And while Mirage gave love and acceptance to the Prime, Mirage felt Optimus needed to know he was loved by all the little ones. Mirage got all the little ones fed and cleaned and then waited for Optimus to arrive.

When Optimus came in, he was a bit stunned that the sparklings were still there and awake. "Mirage, love, what is this?" Optimus asked, a bit concerned.

"I could sense that you needed love and acceptance, my beloved. I know you wished to just have me, but I think you need to see how much you are loved by all our precious little ones" Mirage answered, encouraging the little ones to go hug their father. Keeper, Flasher, Slugbug and Kryptonight helped the younger bots hug the Prime. Optimus, having never really thought about how much love and acceptance came from the hug of his own sparklings, was amazed and felt a little bad. He sometimes overlooked his precious sparklings and the pure love and acceptance they gave.

Optimus smiled as he was hugged in some fashion by all twelve little ones, including Slugbug and Kryptonight. "Welcome home, dad" Kryptonight stated. And while it may not have seen like much, it meant the world to Optimus as Optimus knew Krypto and Bug knew they didn't have to call Mirage "mom" or Optimus "dad" but they had chosen to do so.

Mirage smiled at that. "You see, my beloved, you are loved, needed, and accepted by me and all our sparklings" Mirage stated, feeling the warmth come straight from Optimus' spark. Optimus merely smiled and then helped Mirage get the little ones down for bed, as Optimus did want to snuggle with his mate. It didn't take long to get the loving sparklings down to bed and Optimus got what he had needed most – a reminder that he was supported, loved, accepted and needed by not only the Autobots, but also his growing family.

Elsewhere in the base, Jazz was feeling a bit off. He thought that it was a small virus or just something he ate, so he didn't go to the med bay. He figured he couldn't have been sparked as he didn't have the same symptoms that he had had when he was sparked with Wingspan. Problem was, Jazz didn't know that one could be sparked many different times and not share the same signs or symptoms as the previous sparking. And so, Jazz went about his daily tasks, which did include dangerous missions. Prowl didn't like Jazz going on the missions, but as of now, Prowl had no way of stopping Jazz from going on them and Prowl had learned the hard way about going behind his mate's back as Jazz had made the bot sleep on the couch in the rec room for a fortnight after that last experience. Prowl didn't want that to happen again.

And far off in the Decepticon base, the little femme, who Megatron had finally decided to give a designation, the designation Pistol, was still wreaking havoc on Crystal. Crystal tried hard to keep the young femme from bothering other bots, but Pistol was stubborn just like her bearer and her sire. Pistol had little patience and wanted what she wanted when she wanted it. Megatron made sure that Crystal understood that what Pistol wanted, with rare exceptions, Pistol got. Crystal, having been forced into this whole thing, hated this. She wanted out, but knew that should she do anything, she was toast. Her only hope of getting out was surviving the torment placed on her by Pistol and Megatron.

Back at the Autobot base, Ratchet was still learning to be a parent. He quickly was learning that his little ones were quite the 'pranksters" and were trying to pull pranks on any bot they could, even if they were still young. Ratchet had no idea that the three had learned the pranks thanks to hanging around Kryptonight while the three little ones were being watched over by Mirage. Kryptonight could be quite the prankster and the little triplets looked up to him.

"Where on Cybertron did they learn this stuff? From you?" Ratchet asked his mate.

"Not me" Jack stated, "but since that one youngling lost them, they have been spending more time with Mirage's brood."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ratchet queried.

"Well… I hear from other sources, Kryptonight can be quite the prankster" Jack replied.

"So?" Ratchet asked.

"So… Optimus and Mirage adopted Slugbug and his twin brother Kryptonight after the battle in the ruins of the citadel of Ion" Jack replied.

Ratchet looked to his mate and then made the connection. "So instead of getting lost, they are now learning to drive others nuts?" Ratchet asked.

"Well… yes but they are also learning other things" Jack stated.

"Do tell… what else are they learning over there?"

"Manners, as Mirage is teaching every sparkling he takes care of proper manners" Jack stated.

"great. They will now be polite jokesters" Ratchet retorted sarcastically.

"Well… there is worse. They could be cursing and swearing like you do in the med bay" Jack poked back at his mate. Ratchet shot his mate a look. "It's true." Ratchet signed. Jack did have a point. At least the young ones weren't swearing….yet.


	56. Chapter 56

Megatron didn't know it, but though Crystal had been reprogrammed a bit to be one of Megatron's soldiers and that her current mission was to raise Pistol, Crystal was slowly planning a way for her to escape this hell. She knew she wouldn't be able to until Pistol was at least an advanced youngling, but Crystal held out hope that she could last that long and escape once Megatron had the femme gunformer old enough to start being trained as a soldier. That hope was all Crystal had to survive on for now. And with hope that Primus would provide her an escape route when her mission was complete.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base, things seemed to have returned to normal now that Optimus was back at being Prime. Things were taken care of and the best bots for skirmishes and battles were sent out to battle the cons. No one questioned Optimus staying behind after he informed his top commanders that he was medically unable to go into battle. They didn't need to know what medical condition, they just knew Ratchet didn't put bots on medical restrictions unless necessary. The soldiers believed that Optimus was still getting over the "virus" he had had, and he let them think that.

Elsewhere in the Autobot base, Mirage was with his sparklings plus the sparklings of Prowl and Jazz as well as Hide and Orion. Needless to say, Mirage was not sure how well he could watch over nearly twenty sparklings, but Mirage did have help in the form of his oldest four.

"We can help, mommy" Flasher stated, taking some of the little ones and helping them.

"Yes, I can help too" Keeper stated, taking some of the other little ones.

"And we will help as well" Kryptonight said, as he and his twin took the rest of the little ones to help.

Mirage was amazed at how much better it was to have their help. "Thank you all so much for helping" Mirage stated, "I am going to get some energon for everyone, can I trust you to handle all this?"

"Yes, please go get the energon as many are getting hungry" Slugbug stated, knowing all would be well while Mirage was gone.

"Alright, if you say so" Mirage replied and left for a short time to get the needed energon.

Kryptonight and bug had an easy time watching over the group they had, and since they did, they helped Peacekeeper and Flasher.

"Thanks" Peacekeeper stated.

"You are welcome, keeper" Krypto stated, "but let me show you something."

"ok" Peacekeeper replied, and watched as Krypto taught him how to rub seeker wings and how to care for seekerlings. Flasher watched as well, as he wanted to learn to. Bug went over to Flasher and taught him some things about seekers as well.

"wow, you are going to have to teach mommy" Keeper stated, enjoying learning all the new things.

"Yeah, I don't think mommy knows this stuff" Flasher stated, as he had seen so few seekers in the Autobot base. Krypto merely nodded.

Mirage soon returned, hoping to not find chaos in the quarters. Thankfully and shockingly, the quarters were still clean and the sparklings were playing nicely. Mirage was as stunned as he was relieved.

Flasher, a mama's boy at spark, was the first to see Mirage enter. "Yay! Energon's here as mommy's back" Flasher stated.

"Alright, little ones, let's feed those who can't feed themselves first and then I will give the older ones their energon." Bug, Keeper, Krypto and Flasher were all eager to help and soon all the little ones who were too young to feed themselves were fed and asleep. As time went on, only the four oldest and Mirage were left up. Mirage gave the four their energon, and soon Keeper and Flasher were out. But Bug and Krypto remained up.

Mirage was curious. "How old are you two?" he asked, as no one had told Mirage how old the two were.

"We recently turned into advanced sparklings, one step below being a youngling" Bug stated.

"I didn't realize you two were that old" Mirage replied.

"Primus, I believe, has kept us small for now so that we remained safe until Optimus found us" Bug stated, telling the truth. Mirage merely nodded, as he was just happy that the pair had found a home.

Elsewhere, Optimus was in his office and hadn't realized that his mate had been watching over so many sparklings. Mirage had never called to ask for help, so Optimus assumed that his mate was ok with all their little ones, including their adoptive two. Optimus had his mind elsewhere as well. He once again was carrying. As far as he knew no other Prime had carried any sparklings, but Optimus figured because most of them were upper class bots to start with before they were Prime and he wasn't that was why he carried. It made sense at least to him.

Soon, Optimus grew horny and tired and so he set down the data pad he was reading, which was another report from the panicky Red alert, and headed for home. Thankfully, before Optimus got home, all the sparklings that belonged to Jazz and Prowl as well as Orion and Hide had been taken home.

Mirage was resting lazily on the couch, almost seeming to tease himself. Mirage had felt his mate's needs and had started preparing after all the sparklings were in bed or home. Optimus was a bit stunned and seeing his mate get ready so openly, but it turned Optimus on something fierce.

Optimus scooped up Mirage quickly and headed back to the berth room. Mirage was only mildly surprised at this. After all, he knew Optimus was sparked and when Optimus was sparked, because he used to be Orion Pax, he was a very needy bot. Mirage just hoped he could keep up, though since Optimus only carried twins, Mirage could only hope that Optimus wouldn't be as horny as when the Prime carried five. Soon, both had hit their third overload and both were out cold, snuggled up close with Optimus making sure he was tightly snuggled into Mirage.


	57. Chapter 57

Battles raged on and on, with each side seeming to win here or there, but nothing that would make this infernal civil war end anytime soon. Optimus wasn't happy that he couldn't lead his troops into battle right now, but the troops still respected him and his leadership. He was in charge of the Autobots and all bots seemed to respect him for that whether or not he fought or they fought. He worked tirelessly to keep bots safe and to help restore freedom to Cybertron.

The bots who had sought out shelter from the Autobots and who chose not to fight did help in other ways, as many did odd jobs around the base, as they felt it was their way to contribute to the effort. Optimus thanked each and every bot for whatever they chose to do to help out. It made even more bots respect Optimus. Mirage was happy for his mate and hoped no one ever found out where Optimus had come from.

On the Con side, Megatron was livid. Each defeat was painful and each small victory was too small in his optics to be considered a "victory." He drove his troops hard, forcing confrontation after confrontation. He lost many troops in various skirmishes, though he was still a bit puzzled that no matter what happened, Starscream seemed to survive and that irritated Megatron even more as it seemed like nothing the con leader did could rid him of the foul seeker. Starscream didn't know why he kept surviving, he just knew that he did. He was just glad that Megatron hadn't found a way to slaughter the rebellious seeker yet.

Back in the Autobot base, Optimus had just had a base wide meeting of sorts, updating all the bots in the base what had been going on. Optimus did these from time to time as it allowed the rest of the base to know what was going on and where everything stood at that point in time. Optimus was heading for home, when an arm reached out and caught his.

"Excuse me, sir" the bot asked.

"Yes… how can I help you?" Optimus asked carefully, not wanting to get upset at the bot but Optimus didn't like being grabbed by random bots.

"You remind me of someone I used to know" the bot stated.

"That is extremely doubtful" Optimus stated. What Optimus didn't realize was that this bot had been an acquaintance of Orion Pax – a pleasure bot acquaintance.

"No, you seriously look like someone I used to know" The bot insisted.

Optimus began to get worried. Optimus looked around, only a few bots were left nearby but none of them knew anything about Optimus' past. "Must be coincidence" Optimus replied, trying to brush this off. "If you will excuse me, I must go home to my mate and sparklings." Optimus then headed out, leaving the other bot behind. That had been too close for comfort – much too close. The bot decided to bide his time. He was planning on staying with the Autobots for safety, so he would have time to find out if his hunch was right.

Optimus soon made it home. Mirage was there with all the little ones. Illusion was there as well, as he and Mirage had been talking about being sparked while watching the young ones. Optimus was relieved to get home. Mirage noticed but said nothing, figuring it had to do with Optimus being sparked.

"Well, Optimus is home, Illusion, maybe we can chat another time?" Mirage asked his twin patiently.

"Of course, bro. Besides, Buster doesn't want me out for too long since this is the first time I am sparked. Ratchet told him I could easily lose the sparklings if I am not careful, so buster reminds me to be careful" Illusion stated, the love for his mate coming out in his voice.

"take care" Mirage replied, and soon Illusion was gone.

"Too close…" was all Optimus said once alone with his mate.

"Too close? What was too close?" Mirage asked, concerned about how his mate was acting.

"A bot came up to me after the base wide meeting we had…" Optimus stated and told of the whole conversation that Optimus had had with the strange bot.

Now Mirage understood and grew concerned. "I can see why you are worried. Did you have any friends when you were Orion Pax?" Mirage asked.

"No real friends, just other pleasure bots I knew from the area. Most were jealous of my mom and I as we seemed to get the best customers" Optimus stated. HE didn't like how it sounded, but it was the truth.

"Then we will have to be careful with this new bot around. We don't want certain rumors to fly regardless of how true or false they are." Mirage stated, hoping for a little while he could get his mate's processor off the strange bot. Mirage did know of one really good way to do just that.

"That we will…." Optimus started saying but was interrupted by a nice warm kiss from Mirage. "Of course, there are ways I can temporarily forget it easily" Optimus said, seeing where Mirage was leading and it very much enticed the former pleasure bot.

Mirage just smiled. "Help me get the sparklings to bed and then I will help you 'forget' even more" Mirage whispered sensually in his mate's more sensitive audio receiver. It didn't take long for Optimus to get the message and help get the sparklings each into their own berth. Mirage watched, happy to see Optimus be so involved with the young ones. Soon, it was time for Optimus to cash in on the promise Mirage had made.

Optimus headed into his own berth room. There he saw a sight that nearly made his spark stop – Mirage was laying just so, to entice his mate. Needless to say, the desired effect Mirage was going for happened and soon Optimus and mirage were not only satiated but also asleep.


	58. Chapter 58

Meanwhile, as Optimus slept in his room with his mate, the bot who had confronted him about possibly being a former pleasure bot was seeking answers. He knew Optimus looked much like Orion Pax, though Orion Pax had never been as big as Optimus was. Still, something about the Prime looked familiar to this bot and he was determined to see if Optimus really had been Orion Pax. Problem was, if he ever found out the truth, no one could say if he would reveal the truth to others or not.

The random bot, who had picked out the name Scatter for himself, was careful to observe how things ran at this base. He was amazed as each and every bot he talked to mostly had good things to say about the Prime, and Scatter realized it went to all former "classes" of bots as he had asked several from each of the former "classes" and found each liked him. Scatter was amazed but also impressed, as any Prime he had known had been disliked by most of the lower "classes" while the upper "classes" were ok with them. Scatter was starting to wonder if his quest to find out Optimus' real identity was worth the bot risking all the respect the leader had gained. Scatter figured, may, just maybe, if he found out, he would keep the knowledge to himself.

Elsewhere in the base, Ratchet was having to take another shower, as the little triplets had decided to paint on his chassis with pink paint as well as neon green. Needless to say, Ratchet was not happy about it, but he went to wash off before appropriately punishing the little ones. They tried to play cute.

"You know you don't paint on mommy" Ratchet told them as he sent each to a corner. "Now you are going to sit here for a short time and think about what you did." Two of the little ones did as told, one tried to be defiant. Sunstreaker put up a fight but soon ratchet had all three in different corners. Bluestreak and Sideswipe stayed but sunny, as he was called, tried to leave every chance he could. Needless to say, Sideswipe and Bluestreak finished their punishment before sunny even started his. Sunny was not happy but Ratchet was just being a good mother.

In the Autobot med bay, First Aid was examining Illusion. Illusion had come for a checkup on his developing sparklings and was pleased to see Aid would be doing it. To Illusion, Aid was less gruff and more patient with the illusionist than Ratchet, or so Illusion felt.

"Well, they are developing right on schedule" Aid reported to Illusion.

"They are?" Illusion asked, wanting to make sure he heard correctly.

"Yes, they are and you are doing an excellent job of keeping them and yourself healthy" Aid replied.

"Well, I have Buster, you, Ratchet, and Mirage to thank for that" Illusion stated. He was happy with how things were progressing.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Aid asked, it was a standard question that he asked after giving each bot new medical news.

"Nope. I think I am good" Illusion stated, as he had made sure to read up on things as well as talk to bots who had carried and sparked before. HE had a good idea of what to possibly expect.

"Alright, then, Illusion, you are free to go. Just remember to come back for your weekly check-up" Aid reminded the bot.

"I will. I know if I forget, Ratchet and Mirage will have my aft" Illusion uttered with a slightly sour sounding tone.

"Illusion, that is not a very nice thing to say, both those bots just want what's best for you, especially since this is your first time being sparked" Aid gently reminded Illusion.

"You are right as always, Aid. Thanks" Illusion stated. He was having a bit of a mood swing and it was what made him feel a bit sour. He was glad aid reminded him that those two bots only bugged illusion because they cared about him and the sparklings he carried.

"You are welcome. Now please be careful when you head home" Aid stated as Illusion left. Illusion nodded and was soon out the door.

Illusion headed for home. If there was one thing he knew it was this – if he was in a sour mood, he needed his mate to relieve the sparked bot of his mood. Or in other terms, Illusion knew he needed an interfacing session with his mate. He just hoped that Buster would be home when Illusion got home. And hopeful and bolstered with good news about the sparklings, Illusion headed for home. Unfortunately, he would not make it.

Along the way to his quarters, a random bot grabbed Illusion and took off. Illusion, heavily sparked, had no way to defend himself. The bot who had grabbed him was a rogue Autobot who had gone rogue after a programming glitch he had suffered. Illusion had no time to even send a distress signal. Illusion was being moved out of the base.

But one thing stood in the way of that rogue bot – Scatter. Scatter had learned that Optimus welcomed all bots and that those who wished to fight were allowed to. When scatter saw a sparked bot being carried off but what looked like a bot possessed, Scatter refused to allow the rogue bot to take the sparked bot.

"Put that bot down" Scatter shouted, drawing the attention of the crazy bot.

"No…mine" the bot replied, voice sounding evil. Illusion was worried, as a stray shot could kill Him and his babies. Illusion tried not to panic.

"Oh really?" Scatter stated, "What makes you think that?"

"Mine….all mine" The bot responded, laughing evilly.

Scatter grew a bit worried, as a misplaced shot could kill the bot he was trying to save. Scatter prayed to Primus and then shot. The deadly shot hit its mark, killing the deranged bot and saving Illusion. Illusion was shaking as the bot that held onto him dropped to the floor. Scatter first made sure the deranged bot was dead before checking on the sparked bot.

"Are you ok?" Scatter asked Illusion, though Scatter didn't know the bots name.

Illusion just shook. "Please….take me home" Illusion managed to say.

"Where is home?" scatter asked.

"With Buster" Was all illusion could say.

That was helpful, as Scatter knew of Buster. Scatter took Illusion home. Buster was worried as he had felt the panic. Scatter told of what happened. Buster was grateful. "Thank you for saving my mate" Buster stated. Scatter smiled and soon left.

And as Buster took care of Illusion, word floated to Optimus of what Scatter had done. Optimus was impressed. Maybe, just maybe, Optimus thought, if he talked to this bot in private, they could really get to know each other, as Optimus did remember that name now.


	59. Chapter 59

Word quickly traveled of what Scatter had done and how he had saved Illusion. Most of the bots were impressed and gratefully welcomed Scatter into the base. Mirage was even happy to hear what had happened, but Optimus, as much as he liked hearing that illusion was safe, was still not sure if he could trust the bot.

"Optimus, you have to give him a chance" Mirage told his mate, now that Scatter had proven himself in Mirage's optics.

"I just don't know" Optimus replied. This made things all the more complicated for Optimus, or so he thought.

"You owe him a chance" Mirage stated, seemingly less worried now.

"What makes you so sure he can be trusted?" Optimus asked, unknowingly pissing off his mate.

"BECAUSE HE SAVED MY BROTHER" Mirage responded angrily before leaving. Optimus sighed. He hadn't wanted or expected that. Optimus wasn't sure what to do.

Optimus then commed his mother. "Mom, I need your help?"

"What can I help with, my little one?" Orion asked warmly. Optimus told his mother about Scatter, what the bot had done at first and then what the bot had done now. "My little one, maybe you don't remember, but I do. Scatter was one of your closest friends when you were Orion Pax. You guys did everything together."

"I thought he was just a mere acquaintance" Optimus replied, trying to remember what his mother said. The memory was deeply buried in his processor. It had been accidentally buried when Orion Pax was transformed into Optimus Prime.

"No, my son. He was your good friend. You two always had friendly competitions about who could pleasure more bots" Orion informed his son. "I suggest that you go talk with Scatter and I will try to find your mate before he does something he will regret."

"Ok, thanks mama" Optimus stated, and he headed out after calling a responsible couple of younglings in to watch the sparklings.

Scatter was alone in the rec room when Optimus found him. "Scatter" Optimus stated, sounding like the Prime he had been made into.

"Yes, Prime?" Scatter asked, still sensing something about the bot.

"I would like to speak with you in the privacy of my office" Optimus replied.

"Yes, sir, Prime" Scatter stated and followed Optimus until they reached his office. Optimus closed the door and made sure everything was just so, so that nothing said in this room would get out. Scatter was puzzled but said nothing.

"Scatter… a while back you approached me and wanted to know if I was some bot you had known before" Optimus started.

"Yes, sir" Scatter stated, unsure where this was headed.

"Now what I will tell you stays between you and I and does not leave this room, understood?" Optimus asked.

"Yes sir" Scatter answered. HE was starting to get a bit nervous.

"I spoke with my mother a short time ago and he reminded me of something I had nearly forgotten. You and I did used to be friends and did used to do things together" Optimus stated.

"I thought you looked like a bot I used to know" Scatter replied.

"Scatter, before I was made into the Prime and the bot you see now, I was…. Orion Pax" Optimus informed the bot, hoping this wasn't a mistake.

Scatter listened and it took him a few seconds to process what the Prime had said. And once Scatter did his optics first went wide and then softened. "I… I thought it was you" Scatter admitted.

"It is I" Optimus stated, before changing into his Orion voice, "And boy did you and I have fun."

Scatter recognized that voice in an instant. "Yes, we did. Now I see why you are such a great Prime and bots respect you."

"You do?" Optimus asked, still in his other voice.

"Yes, because you came from nothing, you don't see class the way others do. You see bots for their true potential. You get that because you grew up with a mother who taught you that even as you were the lowest class of society" Scatter stated. He smiled. "I promise to keep our past, and especially yours a secret, as I know many there could react badly if they learn the truth."

Optimus was relieved and changed back into his Prime voice, "Thank you, my old friend." Mirage and Orion had both been right. "And thank you for saving my mate's twin brother."

"Mate? Twin brother?" Scatter asked.

"Scatter, I am bonded now and have a dozen or so sparklings. My mate's name is Mirage. His twin brother is Illusion, the sparked bot you saved from the bot who had gone rogue" Optimus explained. Scatter could only nod, as this was more than he ever had expected. "I am sure Primus has a mate for you too, if you wish it" Optimus told his old friend. The two chatted for a while longer before they went their separate ways.

Meanwhile, Orion had gone out to find Mirage, thinking Mirage was possibly going to do something rash. Orion looked and looked, and then found Mirage the last place Orion expected Mirage to be – at Wingspan's quarters, talking with Wingspan and Illusion. Orion was relieved that Mirage hadn't done anything rash.

Orion knocked on the door. Wingspan answered, "May I help you, Orion?"

"I was looking for Mirage. Optimus told me they had an argument and that Mirage rushed out of the room. I just came to make sure Mirage was ok" Orion explained.

"I'm fine mom" Mirage replied, coming to the door. Illusion and Wingspan backed that up.

"WE are both sparked, and Mirage was just giving us tips on how to deal with it" Illusion explained.

Orion smiled at that. "I could add a bit more information, if you'd like" Orion said, knowing his son would be just fine. Wingspan invited the bot in and the four chatted away about sparklings and being sparked. Mirage even learned a few things from Orion. Everyone were enjoying their time together, but soon it came time for all to head home. Mirage just hoped Optimus had been nice to Scatter and given the bot a chance.


	60. Chapter 60

After the visit with the others, Mirage was almost home. He didn't realize that Optimus would bring Scatter home with him, but Mirage was used to Optimus bringing various bots home for various reasons, such as to meet the new sparklings or talk in even more privacy. Mirage soon entered his quarters and was stunned to find Optimus and Scatter talking like old friends. Mirage grew even more concerned when he heard Optimus talking like Orion Pax, as Mirage had never met this strange bot before - heard of him, yes, met him, no.

The two were so involved in their conversation, neither heard or saw Mirage enter until Mirage spoke. "What in the name of Primus is going on here?" Mirage demanded to know. He was worried for lots of reason and unfortunately for Mirage, when he was anxious, worried or mad, it all seemed to come out in an angry sounding tone.

Scatter and Optimus both nearly jumped out of their seats, having not expected this kind of greeting from Mirage. Optimus wasn't happy with his mate and Scatter was a bit peeved that an "upper class" bot would do this.

"Don't take that tone with me" Optimus replied angrily in response, his voice in full Prime mode. "I have every right to talk with my old friend."

Mirage grew even more worried, as Optimus, while sparked, could have dangerous mood swings, and he feared he had triggered one of them. Mirage felt trapped and fear rose in his spark, as Optimus and Scatter both looked extremely dangerous. But since he didn't like to fight – Mirage ran. He didn't want to be there. He didn't feel safe. And if he couldn't feel safe in his own quarters, he didn't feel like he could be safe anywhere on the known base, and so he ran deeper into the unexplored underground of the Prime's palace. He refused to go too far, as he didn't wish to be captured/killed or be away from their little ones.

Back in the quarters, Optimus was still a little too upset to realize what he had just done. "Maybe he will stop being overly sensitive" Optimus muttered, but Scatter didn't agree.

"Orion, stop it. You are acting like a fool" Scatter replied, much to Optimus' surprise. "All he was doing was asking what was going on. He and I never met and he hears you talking like Orion and not like Optimus. What is he supposed to think?"

Optimus looked at his friend. Scatter was right, but Optimus was still upset about the whole thing. "It shouldn't matter" Optimus started to say.

"Orion Pax, think about it. Mirage protects your secret, knowing full well if revealed you may lose the respect you have gained as Prime. Then he comes in to see a bot he doesn't know talking with you in your old persona. And you don't even have the decency to introduce me to him, you just yell at him. Some mate you are" Scatter stated, unaware that Optimus was sparked and often had foul mood swings.

"Shut up" Optimus stated, getting angrier. He didn't like what Scatter was telling him, but Scatter was being a true friend -telling Optimus what he needed to hear not what he wanted to hear. Scatter knew they needed to get to Mirage.

"No, I won't. As I won't let you hurt your mate. I can't help it if you don't like what I am saying, but if you don't go after your mate, you will be lucky if you live and that your other sparklings aren't orphans" Scatter stated, hoping mentioning the other sparklings would snap Optimus out of this.

At the mention of the sparklings, Optimus' mood swing seemed to break. He felt awful. He lowered his helm. He had fouled up yet again and Mirage had taken the brunt of it. Scatter instantly noticed the change, as Optimus was not throwing things or shouting any longer. "I… I must find him" Optimus said, helm lowered.

"I will help you, Optimus, but with your temper, I don't know if he will be easily found. As you have mentioned yourself to me, Megatron would love nothing more than to take Mirage to hurt you" Scatter stated.

At that statement, Optimus' helm shot up. He had to find his mate. "I must find him before anything else happens" Optimus stated, sounding like the Prime.

Both headed out in search of the bot, Scatter unaware that Mirage had illusionary abilities as Optimus had never mentioned it. They first headed to places that Mirage would likely go, but struck out at each and every spot. Jazz, Prowl, Wingspan, Illusion, Hot Rod, Buster, Orion and Ironhide told Scatter and Optimus that they had not seen Mirage recently. That knowledge alone frightened Optimus. He still continued to search, desperately hoping to find Mirage.

AS they looked in areas that Mirage seldom frequented, a youngling came up to them. "Sir, I saw an adult mech, blue and white in color, head further into the unknown portion of the base. I tried to stop him from going in there, but he didn't listen and pushed me aside. I hope he isn't lost in there, as few have ever been in there" the youngling mech stated.

Optimus didn't show it, but that was cause for alarm. "Thank you, I will go in and seek this bot out" Optimus stated, Scatter planning on going with the bot. Optimus, by virtue of the Matrix, seemed to know every corner of the base, even the "unexplored" parts. He used the secret map he alone held in his processor and crossed the information with his spark to connect to where his mate could be. Instantly, he felt led in a certain direction. Optimus and Scatter headed in, hoping that they could find Mirage.

"Why would he come here?" Scatter asked, confused as to why a scared bot would hide in this place.

"Because I chased him off, but he wouldn't leave the sparklings we have together" Optimus replied, the reply itself leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Scatter said nothing, as he could tell Optimus felt bad enough already about this whole situation. Scatter prayed to Primus that they would find Mirage in time and in one piece.


	61. Chapter 61

And while Scatter and Optimus were searching for Mirage, Jazz was in the med bay. He had been not feeling so great ever since the one night Prowl had pampered him. Jazz had sent any sparklings he had with him to Illusion and Wingspan to watch.

"Ratchet, man, I don't feel good… at all" Jazz stated. He hadn't felt like this in years, long before he met Prowl.

"Well, before I can begin to tell you what's wrong, can you describe your symptoms, as 'I don't feel good' is a bit too broad" Ratchet replied.

"Fair enough" Jazz stated and started explaining his complaints, and purged his tanks as he did so. Ratchet listened and helped clean the bot up. Ratchet was hoping it was not what he thought it was. "… So what do you think, doc bot?"

Ratchet sighed. "I have to get a very specific scanner and scan you. If my gut is right, and I hope it's not, you are sparked" Ratchet stated, going to get the machine. Jazz was stunned into silence – him sparked? He didn't think it would happen again as he had nearly lost wingspan dozens of times as he carried the seeker. Ratchet brought out the scanner and scanned multiple times. It beeped only once over the abdominal area. "Well, It looks like…. You are sparked…. With one."

Jazz was silent for a bit longer as he let himself process that new information. Then Jazz grew worried. "Ratchet, do you know my medical history with sparklings?" Jazz asked unsure if the medic had had an opportunity to check.

"I haven't been able to read everyone's medical history yet as the med bay keeps very busy, so there is a chance that I am not aware of it" Ratchet replied honestly.

"Well… it goes like this…." Jazz stated and explained what had happened with Wingspan and all that. Ratchet listened, glad to know all this valuable information. "And I nearly lost him more times than I could count."

"Well, rest assured, Jazz, I will keep an optic on you as your sparkling develops. I recommend you come in two times weekly and absolutely any time you feel off. I am also taking you completely off duty" Ratchet stated.

"Can I still care for sparklings, as I am sparkling sitting right now?" Jazz asked.

"As long as you are careful, you can help take care of sparklings" Ratchet stated, much to Jazz's relief. Ratchet soon released Jazz from the med bay. Jazz headed for home, knowing he would have to tell Prowl sooner or later.

Meanwhile, in the dark tunnels in the undeveloped part of the base, Optimus and Scatter continued their search.

"Optimus do you have any clue where we are?" Scatter asked, afraid that they were lost.

"Yes, the Matrix has given me a map that shows this place. I know where we are, I just wish I knew where Mirage went" Optimus replied.

"Well, with that temper of yours, he may be hard to find" Scatter said.

"And with his ability, he may be even harder" Optimus stated, stunning scatter.

"His ability?" Scatter asked.

"Yes, he was partially named Mirage because he had the ability to create illusions and mirages, including hiding himself from visibility" Optimus fessed up.

"Boy, you really screwed up if you teed off that kind of a mate. You'll be lucky if you ever find him" Scattered stated, unknowingly riling up the Prime.

"Scatter, I would suggest you make no more comments if you don't want to see the same wrath" Optimus stated emphatically.

"Point made" Scatter stated and they continued on, unaware that Mirage was much closer than they realized. In fact, he was using one of his illusions to almost follow them. He wanted to see more about this strange new bot Scatter.

Optimus went further and further into what felt like a maze. HE scanned and scanned. He was tired, hungry, and horny, but he knew his mate felt hurt and slighted. Optimus wanted his mate so bad it hurt. He sighed. Optimus knew he had a temper and he knew that temper was worse when he was sparked, but up until now, Optimus had been good about not directing it at Mirage.

"Hey Prime, you get the feeling that we are being followed?" Scatter asked.

Optimus looked back behind them. It was pitch black, but in the darkness, Optimus thought he saw something – an energy signature. Optimus stopped for a second. He had to determine first, if what he saw was real and second if it was his mate or someone/something else. Mirage knew that Optimus knew how to see the illusionist even when the illusionist didn't want to be seen and so Mirage had ran off and moved when Scatter asked about being followed.

"I think we are being followed, but I don't understand why" Optimus stated.

"Well, may now it is time for the truth to come out" Scatter stated.

Optimus sighed, Scatter was right. "Mirage" Optimus called out into the darkness, "I am sorry. I overreacted. I should have told you the truth. Scatter and I are old friends from before I was Optimus Prime. We knew each other as pleasure bots. Forgive me for not introducing him properly. I know you get concerned about who knows the truth. But do know this, Scatter is a friend and won't turn on us."

"Mirage, please, I mean no harm. I already read the riot act to Optimus after you ran off. Please come back to your mate, he needs you" Scatter added, hoping it would help.

Slowly but surely the energy signature that Optimus saw came closer. It stopped a few feet away. And then Mirage revealed himself, covered in all matter of crap, as he had gotten lost in these tunnels and had managed to mud up his white and blue exterior to the point he looked almost all black. Mirage lowered his helm, expecting to be yelled at.

Optimus did not like that and went to lift up his mate's helm. "You scared me when you ran off" Optimus fessed up.

"You scared me first" Mirage stated, shivering a bit as the muck he was covered in made him cold.

"Let's go home" Optimus stated, and Mirage nodded. Optimus led both Scatter and Mirage safely out of the area.

"Take him home and get everything straightened out" Scatter said before heading off, making it sound like cleaning up mirage to the casual bot, but Optimus and Mirage knew exactly what that meant and they headed for home.


	62. Chapter 62

Mirage and Optimus now were on better terms as while Mirage tried not to aggravate his mate during mood swings, Optimus tried to make sure the angry mood swings were not directed at Mirage. Mirage hoped that this time, with two, Optimus would not be so wild as he was when he carried five. Mirage hoped Primus soon would stop blessing Optimus with the sparklings and start blessing Mirage with them as it seemed to create less havoc when Mirage was sparked.

Meanwhile, on the con side of things, Crystal was struggling with the spunky young femme Pistol. Crystal believed the young femme lived up to her name. She caused nothing but havoc for poor Crystal. Crystal tried, but even her guidance didn't help. Megatron decided to stop by.

Crystal heard the door but couldn't answer it. "Come in" Crystal hollered towards the door as she was trying to catch the little spitfire femme.

Megatron let himself in and saw utter destruction of the quarters. Not realizing it was because of the sparkling and not crystal, Megatron went after the femme. "How dare you raise my next soldier in this disgusting filth" Megatron stated, angry at the sight.

"I have been trying, to clean, my lord, but Pistol…" Crystal stated before she was stopped.

"No, the sole responsibility for this rests with you Crystal. You best not fail me. Clean this filth up immediately. I will not have Pistol in such filth" Megatron bellowed and then slammed the door shut. Crystal wanted to break down and cry, but she couldn't. If she did, she knew her life was over – literally. She worked with Pistol until Pistol was exhausted and had to recharge. Then and only then was Crystal able to get the work done she needed. She just hoped she could survive this, but if Megatron took her out, she was almost considering that a blessing at this point.

Back at the Autobot base, things were going better, especially for Illusion and Wingspan who were now getting bigger and showing that they were sparked. Wingspan had a bit harder time hiding his bump as he didn't have programming like Illusion to hide it. Neither really cared for all the outside attention it seemed to bring them, though Wingspan was less bothered than Illusion.

Both were heading back from the med bay after another checkup that had indicated the sparklings were right on target for their stage of development. Ratchet sent both home.

"Wow, I can't believe you carry four. You don't seem like you are a big enough bot to do so" Wingspan stated.

"Well, you carry three" Illusion stated.

"Yes, but I am a bit bigger than you"

"That is true, but your three to you are like my four to me" Illusion explained.

Then Wingspan got it. "I'm still impressed. How's Buster taking all of this?"

"One step at a time. This will be a big change for us. How is Hot Rod taking this?" Illusion asked.

"He thinks it's going to be fun and he has already started preparing where the little ones will sleep" Wingspan replied.

"Mirage helped me put together our nursery, and so that helped take the pressure off Buster and I" Illusion explained.

"Wow, do you think he would help us too?" Wingspan asked, forgetting that Illusion and Mirage saw Wingspan like a brother.

"Spanner, you are like a brother to us. If you ask, I am sure he will help you too" Illusion reminded the seeker.

"You know I hate that nickname, right?" Wingspan asked and Illusion nodded. "Still, I guess it would be a good idea to ask."

"Trust me, he will help you, if you but ask. Well, here's my quarters. Say hi to Hot Rod for me" Illusion stated and headed into his quarters.

"Will do, and thanks" Wingspan replied and headed off once the quarter doors shut. He needed to head home as well.

Wingspan was on his way when he met up with old Ironhide. "Heading this way?" Hide asked.

"Yes, and I need to get home" Wingspan explained.

"Mind company, as your quarters are on the way to the weapons cleaning area?" Ironhide asked.

"No. I just dropped off Illusion at his quarters. It will be nice to have someone to talk to the rest of the way" Wingspan replied. And so Hide made sure Wingspan got home safely. Hide hadn't told any bot this, but that time after Illusion had been nearly taken while being sparked made Hide feel like it was his duty that if he found a bot alone walking somewhere and they were young and/or sparked, he would make sure they safely got where they needed to go. The bots he helped appreciated it.

Meanwhile, in the quarters, Orion was watching over his little ones – Bee and his brother Sparker. Bee still remained small even as the other grew. Orion didn't think anything of it, as he knew Bee was a minibot and so Bee wouldn't get as big. But what bee lacked in size, he more than made up for with intelligence. The little sparkling was extremely sharp and picked up on many things easily. IT certainly helped, as Bee was already talking and letting Orion know what the little one needed.

Back in Mirage and Optimus' quarters, the little ones were elsewhere – all of them except Krypto and Slugbug, were with Jazz and Prowl. The other two were with some other friends that they had recently met. It meant that Mirage could certainly take care of all of Optimus' needs. Mirage went into the main area of the quarters, grabbed some energon and began to use it as a prop to tease Optimus.

Mirage quickly drew his mate's attention, as Optimus was easily made "hot and bothered" when he was carrying. Mirage used the prop, the energon, to rile up Optimus even more. "Oops" Mirage stated as he deftly poured energon on himself, getting himself all dirty. "Looks like I need to be washed…" Mirage stated, but got no further as Optimus already recognized the game and grabbed Mirage and headed to the berth room.

And in sounding like little Orion, "Don't you worry, I will make sure you are all cleaned up." Mirage smiled, as he knew they were both in for a lot of fun.


	63. Chapter 63

While Mirage and Optimus were playing the game of "cleaning each other up", others were hard at work and busy. One of them was Buster, he was working in part of the base that they were using to expand the base so that more bots could live there. Buster didn't like being away from his mate, especially since Illusion was on some restrictions due to being sparked with four, Buster also knew you never shafted your work responsibility. Buster had been made overseer of the project by Optimus and Buster tried to be like Optimus as he oversaw other bots, which the other bots appreciated.

"Alright, bots, break time" Buster stated, giving them all a break for a bit. The others were grateful and went to drink their energon, while this gave buster a chance to talk to Illusion.

"Buster to Illusion, come in Illusion" Buster commed softly over his private comm with this mate.

"Illusion here" came the mumbled reply, as Illusion had just been woken out of a nap.

"You ok, love?" Buster asked, concerned.

"Just napping…. You woke me" Illusion explained, tired sounding.

Buster felt a bit better about that. "Anything you need love?" Buster asked, feeling bad for having interrupted his mate's nap.

"Nope, sweetie. I am in bed napping… energon nearby… and patiently waiting for you to come home" Illusion replied, knowing that last part would rile his mate up a bit.

"Soon, love, soon. I have to work then fun" Buster stated in return.

"I know… see you later, hon. I am going back to sleep" Illusion stated and then ended the comm. Needless to say, Buster was a bit eager to get home, but he knew he had a job to do.

As soon as the break time was over, he had the bots work a few more hours, even helping with some of the work. It didn't take long for the time to tick by and soon Buster and the others were reporting off to the next shift and heading for home. Buster had plans in mind for him and his mate.

Later on, deep in the con base, Mirage was running a mission. He had left his sleeping and sparked mate in their quarters with energon nearby and a note that he had to go somewhere and would return soon. He hadn't wanted to worry his mate, so he didn't tell Optimus where the illusionist was going.

While deep in the base, Mirage saw something that greatly disturbed him – he saw the three young seekers trapped in some kind of chamber, being bolted with some kind of charge. He didn't know that this was a place where Megatron made bots transform from sparklings to adults but Mirage still didn't like what he saw, and what he heard was even more disturbing.

"Are those brats ready yet?" Megatron asked Soundwave.

"Answer: they are stubborn, like creator, they will take a bit more time" Soundwave answered. "Statement, go too fast, will kill them."

Megatron growled at that. This process was too slow for his liking. "Inform me when they are ready" Megatron bellowed and then left. Mirage couldn't believe his audios. These bots were being forced to grow up just to be soldiers? It disturbed him greatly. He wondered if there was a way to save the bots, but he didn't know. He just kept watching.

Soundwave tried many things, but nothing seemed to make these bots change anymore, as that process required seeker heat, a thing most bots outside of seekers didn't understand.

Megatron was livid that this wasn't working the way he wanted it to. Having no choice, he went to an archive computer to see how he was failing. He searched and searched and then came upon the disgusting fact, well disgusting to him, that seekers needed heat. He researched if heat could be induced and was pleased to find it could be. He got a real sadistic look on his faceplate. HE would use this on the young and old seeker trio and hope this would get him what he desired.

Meanwhile, mirage, having seen enough, took the intel he had gathered and stealthily and with great haste left the con base. The things he had seen so disturbing, he almost pulsed them along the bond, but had stopped short of doing so, thankfully. He soon made it back to the base. He dropped the intel off with Jazz and then went to the med bay. Mirage had to get decontaminated and he wanted to talk to Ratchet about what he had seen.

After Mirage was decontaminated from his visit to the con base, Mirage told Ratchet what he had seen. Even Ratchet was deeply disturbed to hear about the machine and it forcing sparklings to grow up. "That's not even the worst of it, he plans to find something to make sure they are full grown adults and no longer sparklings" Mirage stated.

"Doing something like that is extremely dangerous and it can lead to all sorts of problems with the sparklings who are forced to grow up that way, if it doesn't kill them first" Ratchet stated.

"How do you know?" Mirage asked, curious.

"Long ago, an old bot was doing unethical experiments and that was one of them. He published his results, but was soon condemned and hanged for doing such atrocious things to sparklings, as the Prime, Jade Prime, was going to have it" Ratchet stated, not knowing where that name came from.

"Who was Jade Prime?" Mirage asked.

"The only female prime that there has ever been. It is said she alone is somehow responsible for preserving information only to be known to the Prime" Ratchet stated, repeating an old legend he had heard from his father.

Mirage nodded. "So, can I head home, I think Optimus needs me?"

"Sure, and remind him to see me tomorrow. I don't want to have to hunt down the Prime again for his appointment. I will if I have to, but I shouldn't' have to."

"Will do doc, bot" Mirage stated and soon left. He hoped Optimus was ready when Mirage got home.


	64. Chapter 64

Optimus greeted Mirage warmly when Mirage got home, or tried to, but sensed something had affected Mirage greatly as Mirage just seemed off. "Love?" Optimus asked, a bit worried.

After a couple minutes, Mirage finally responded, "Yes, beloved?" Mirage replied, still deeply troubled by what he had seen.

"You are acting very strange, my love. Care to tell me what's on your mind?" Optimus stated, moving so he was close behind Mirage, giving Mirage a hug. Optimus sensed it was something dark and foreboding.

"You really want to know?" Mirage asked, not sure if he showed share what he saw with his mate. He knew Optimus was Prime, but he also knew Optimus was sparked and could be unpredictable with his responses to things.

"Anything that affects you so much you take several moments to respond to me and don't immediately ask how the sparklings were must be powerful, so yes, I must know what bothers you so" Optimus stated, not prepared for what he was going to hear from the lips of his own mate.

"Well, I was on a mission, a mission deep inside the con base…" Mirage started out and then told of all the things he saw, including the dark machinery that Megatron used to force bots to grow up faster than nature intended. He also told of seeing young bots being placed on and in the machine and how they were screaming horrid screams as they were tortured by the sickening device. Optimus was shaken to the core and visibly sickened by hearing about this whole thing, but he had asked. He also held Mirage close, as Optimus knew Megatron could have discovered Mirage in the base and thrown Mirage on the vile and diabolical device. "… I wish I could have saved them, but I was only one bot" Mirage ended with.

Optimus didn't utter a sound for a while, but held Mirage closely and tightly. Mirage knew by just how Optimus reacted that what Mirage described had affected Optimus as well. "It would figure that only a bot with as malicious of a processor as Megatron would dare even attempt to construct such a abhorrent device much less utilize it" Optimus finally stated. He now hoped that they could save as many sparklings and younglings as there remained out there before the vile cons could capture them. Mirage snuggled into his mate, seeking comfort.

Meanwhile, deep in the con base, Megatron was more than ready to try his new knowledge out on these younger seekers that Starscream had sparked only months ago. Megatron had read a theory put out in the Cybretronian literature about how to possibly induce seeker heat. It had never been tested, but Megatron was be delighted to try it.

"Alight, Soundwave, I need you to perform this type of maneuver with the programming, and don't give me any lip" Megatron demanded harshly.

"Answer: Yes, Lord Megatron" Soundwave stated and pushed the desired programming into the young bots that Megatron had demanded be put in. Megatron watched, hoping this truly would work, as it would fully seal these young ones into adults, even older than Starscream and his brothers, and Megatron hadn't realized this till now. If it worked on these three, he would force it onto the other three.

They watched as the young bot screamed as the programming was implanted. Megatron coldly smiled. He was sadistic enough that to him, the screams sounded like music. He would bide his time for the moment, to see if this really worked.

Back at the Autobot base, Illusion, Wingspan, and Scatter were walking and talking. Scatter appreciated that Illusion and Wingspan were just as willing to be his friends as were some others, but Scatter really liked hanging out with Illusion and Wingspan. Illusion could tell, though, that Scatter longed for a mate.

"It will happen in time" Illusion stated, drawing a look from Scatter.

"What will?" Scatter asked, not sure what he was talking about.

"Getting a mate and having a family" Wingspan added.

"How… How did you know?" Scatter asked, puzzled as to how these two picked that up.

"I can tell, Scatter. I also know what it feels like to see so many friends and family have mates and you are left alone, as I was one who had to wait long after many family and friends found there happy-ever-afters" Illusion stated, which was true.

"Mine came out of the blue. I still don't know what hit me. I missed 12 days that I can't get back, but I know I bonded then and now I am sparked" Wingspan stated, not knowing he was soon going to get the real explanation for that.

Scatter chuckled. "That's probably from Seeker heat"

"What is that?" Both Illusion and Wingspan asked.

"It is a seeker's most fertile period. It is not to say that they can't get sparked or bond at other times, but that is a time made for seekers to bond and especially spark. When young, it lasts longer, when older it is shorter" Scatter explained.

"How do you know that?" Wingspan asked.

"I was a pleasure bot, Wingspan. I serviced many bots. I also serviced a few seekers who told me that they needed me for an extended period of time because of that seeker heat deal. That is how I know about it" Scatter explained.

"that makes a lot of sense" Illusion stated, happy to learn something new.

"Yeah, glad to know I am not going crazy when I have that hit me" Wingspan stated, very relieved.

"Your systems may feel crazy, but it is perfectly natural for you and your type of bot. Your mate, if not a seeker, will also be given ability to keep up with you during that time" Scatter explained, "but then, If not a seeker, will crash for a couple days solid afterward to recover." Now everything made sense to Wingspan and he was grateful. He would also have to tell Hot Rod and Jazz so they knew as well.


	65. Chapter 65

Optimus may not have shown it to anyone other than Mirage, but the report of young bots being forced to grow up disturbed Optimus greatly. He wasn't sure what he could do or how he could save them. He needed wisdom. He knew of only one place to get it. He headed to his office, locked the door, and then he placed himself in the bed behind his desk and traveled into the Matrix, hoping to find the advice he needed.

He passed by newer Primes, like Sentinel and Zeta, his predecessor. Optimus wanted an older Prime. He was careful to not go too deep, and once again he reached Jade Prime.

"Optimus, I was not expecting you again" Jade stated.

"I need advice. Megatron has created a machine which forces sparklings to grow into adults almost instantly. I need advice on how to save other sparklings as well as try to save the seekers he has tried it on already."

"What you seek is very difficult, Optimus, as no one before has ever built such a device that could work. Your Megatron must have found old plans, or Unicron helped him" Jade stated.

Optimus was stunned. "Unicron help a bot?"

"Unicron will occasionally "help" a bot, if in the end, it means good things for Unicron."

"That's good to know, but is there any way to save the bots he has already tried it on?"

"You will not be able to return them to sparklings, especially if they are seekers and have already experienced seeker heat, but you can rescue them from the Con base. I can't say if they will be able to be saved from Megatron totally, unless Primus intervenes."

"But the bots can be rescued and helped?" Optimus asked.

"Yes, but make haste, as Megatron won't stop with these ones" Jade replied. "Now go, before you get lost in here."

Optimus suddenly found himself awake and grateful that he had been lying in bed when he did this. He wasn't sure which bot to talk to, but he knew that they needed to try and rescue at least the three that Mirage had observed being tortured by the vile device.

Meanwhile, Mirage was refusing several assignments, as he just couldn't bring himself to go this soon again. His supervisor wasn't happy, but Mirage told the supervisor that Mirage's mate was the Prime and if the supervisor didn't stop harassing him, Mirage would have Optimus demote the bot. Needless to say, the constant comms stopped for the time being.

Mirage had hated to do it, but the bot didn't seem to understand, what Mirage didn't know was that his supervisor would comm Optimus about it.

The supervisor, sick of dealing with Mirage, decided to comm the Prime, feeling that Mirage was shirking. "Prime, please, come in Prime."

"Prime here" Optimus stated, having just gotten to his desk to read reports.

"I need to speak with you, I have a bot who doesn't want to run any missions right now" the supervisor stated, trying not to say who.

"Who is refusing?" Optimus asked, much to the supervisor's chagrin.

"That lazy aft Mirage…" the supervisor stated, forgetting his was talking to Mirage's mate.

And it just so happened that Prime was getting an angry mood swing at this time. "How dare you call my mate lazy, soldier. Do you have any idea what he sees when you send him on these missions? Did it ever occur to you to use another bot once in a while, or are you just lazy to send someone else out?" Optimus asked, anger evident in his voice. He didn't mean to be like this, but having his mate being harassed and being sparked made Optimus more protective of what was his, so to speak.

"But Prime…" the supervisor retorted, not liking that he couldn't send his best bot out into the mission field.

"Don't 'but Prime' me, Mirage is my mate and has a dozen sparklings to watch plus is recovering from his last mission. I suggest you try another bot before I demote you" Prime stated. He didn't like Mirage's supervisor at times, as the bot had sent Mirage out when Mirage was just about to spark the seekerlings. Optimus was also not very patient at times with bots who thought that they knew better than he did.

"Yes sir" came the reply and the supervisor did as instructed, finding another bot who was eager to run a mission and help the Autobots.

Optimus didn't like how he had handled that situation and he would eventually have to talk to both Mirage and the supervisor once the Prime was over being sparked. For now, Optimus struggled through the reports that littered his desk and tried to figure out if they really were important or just junk. He was getting a bit of a processor ache and so decided to head home. Most were not that important anyway.

Mirage was at home with the more than just his own little ones, not expecting Optimus to come home this soon. Mirage was also watching Bee, Sparker, and Prowl and Jazz's three little ones. Optimus was stunned when he got home, as he hadn't expected to see so many sparklings. Mirage said nothing, as this was normal to him. No wonder Mirage easily was worn out, or so Optimus thought. But instead of standing and watching, Optimus joined in to help out, which was greatly appreciated by Mirage.

"thanks beloved" Mirage stated.

Optimus smiled. "If you ever need help, just ask."

"Easier said than done" Mirage stated, unaware Optimus knew of the issue with the supervisor.

"Mirage, love, once the little ones are down, you and I need to talk" Optimus stated.

"What about?" Mirage asked.

"You refusing to work your shifts" Optimus stated.

"Beloved, I need time to recover after my last one. You should understand" Mirage stated, not wanting to go any further.

"We will talk more later" Optimus stated, giving Mirage a kiss before returning to play with the sparklings. Mirage just nodded. He hoped he wasn't in trouble.


	66. Chapter 66

After discussing the work incident, Mirage was placed in the brig for a short stint, as Optimus didn't like any bot shirking their responsibilities unless medically banned from performing said duties. Mirage understood and took his punishment. Mirage knew it was more about Optimus showing that he was fair than Mirage really being in trouble.

When other bots saw that Optimus was not above putting his own family in the brig for not completing duties as asked with no medical reason to prevent them, it earned the leader even more respect. They realized that all were expected to do their assigned tasks unless there was a good reason to not complete them, such as being medically prohibited.

Optimus hated to place his mate in the brig, as Optimus needed the bot, but still, discipline and fairness needed to be maintained in this base. Optimus only kept Mirage in the brig for the minimum amount of time, though it was long enough. Mirage was relieved to be let out of the brig, but he also knew why Optimus had let him out at the minimum hours – Optimus was horny and Mirage could feel it.

"Let's head for home" Optimus stated, trying not to let his Orion side out yet.

"Yes, dear" came Mirage's response, knowing exactly what would happen when they got home.

Optimus made sure they reached their quarters quickly. He knew none of the sparklings would be there as he had sent them to other bots who owed him favors, including Scatter. Now, Optimus could have fun. Mirage purred. "I'm all yours, babydoll" Mirage whispered sensuously.

"I'm gonna give lots of pleasure" Optimus state, in his orion persona with a huge grin on his face.

"Pleasure away, baby doll" Mirage stated, soon drifting into a pleasure filled world along with his mate. Optimus was having a blast, first having lots of fun and pleasure and then finishing it snuggling close together. Mirage, too tired after the session to say much, just purred softly as they snuggled and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Ironhide wasn't feeling well. He knew it wasn't his hip, as this wasn't pain so much as feeling like his tanks wanted to rebel. He had had a fun session with his mate a few weeks ago where Hide let Orion do anything Orion wanted. Orion had wanted a spark merge, and so they had done so to reaffirm their bond. But now, something seemed off.

Reluctantly, Hide headed to the med bay. He was surprised when only First Aid was available.

"Can I help you, Ironhide?" First Aid asked.

"I… I don't know. Where is Ratchet?"

"With his mate Jack…. With their sparklings elsewhere" Aid stated.

Hide knew what that meant. "So you are working so they can frag each other senseless?" Hide asked, knowing no one else was around.

"Well, Ratchet was getting cranky… might do him some good" Aid replied.

"True, true. Anyway, I guess you can help since Ratchet is… indisposed at the time being. I am not feeling well and I wondered if you could scan me for any issues" Hide stated before detailing his symptoms to the medic. These were slightly different symptoms than the medic expected but he had a hunch. Aid went to get a different scanner, as this wouldn't be detected on a regular one like other bots had. Aid scanned over the abdomen and got nothing, as he expected. But when he scanned over the spark, he got three beeps.

Aid stopped. "What the heck?" Aid stated, never having heard of this. One beep yes, two rarely but never three.

"What's wrong?" Hide asked, not liking that Aid wasn't being very forthcoming with the information.

"Um… Hide…. You're sparked" Aid stated.

"What? SPARKED? I can't be, my development chamber doesn't work" Hide stated.

"You are sparked…. The old fashioned way. We will need to create forms for these three" Aid stated matter-of-factly.

"Uh..mmm..ngh" Hide tried to say something before passing out in shock.

"Just like Optimus. Why is it the big ones always seem to pass out at that news?" Aid wondered aloud, though there was no one to answer him. Aide started a drip on Hide and then went about watching the med bay. Aid knew Ratchet was never going to believe this. Heck, Aid hardly believed it. But Aid had more important things to do. He had to find a bot who could create forms for sparks.

Aid commed several bots after looking up their information and finally found a bot able to do the work and willing to try.

"Tinker here" TInker stated, unsure why he had gotten a call from Aid.

"Tinker. This is Aid, the medic. I need you to come to the med bay. I have a bot who is sparked the old-fashioned way and I need a bot who could create forms for the sparks" Aid explained.

"On my way" tinker stated and he headed for the med bay.

When he got there, he was shocked to see Ironhide just coming to. "You called, Aid?"

"Yes, I did. This is Ironhide and he is the bot sparked the old way. They will need forms" Aid stated.

Tinker looked at hide. Hide looked old, much older than Tinker. "Do you have any preferences?" Tinker asked.

"I… I don't know. Any suggestions?" Hide asked.

"Well, mechs are easier than femmes and flyers are easier than grounders" Tinker stated.

Hide was a bit stunned by that, but thought about it. "I want mechs, as for forms, I don't much care as long as they are healthy" Hide stated, which made things much easier on tinker to get them done in time.

"Then I will get started" Tinker stated, "if you have any questions or suggestions, please comm."

Hide nodded as the bot left. "Orion is never going to believe this. Heck, I don't" Hide stated.

"Well, most of us don't believe it, but it is happening. Now why don't you go home and tell your mate. I will wait until Ratchet comes in next time and inform him." Hide nodded and smiled at that. He headed home, hoping Orion would be ok with this.


	67. Chapter 67

Ironhide headed for home, still trying to wrap his processor around what First Aid had told him. He just couldn't believe it, he still couldn't even after he had seen the results from Aid. Hide walked to his quarters, hoping that Orion would be ok with this new development.

Orion was home with the sparklings. When Hide walked in, Bee immediately ran up and hugged the bot. "Daddy!" came the excited shout.

Hide smiled and carefully scooped up Bee. "Hey sport" Hide greeted Bee, hugging him closely. Orion smiled at the sight. Yes, Ironhide was an excellent father, Orion thought as he watched the interaction. Bee told his father all about the wonderful day he had had and Hide listened with great interest, which was good for the little one who loved to talk. It encouraged him to talk more. "It is good to hear that you are having such wonderful days, my son" Hide stated when Bee finally stopped talking. Bee just smiled, asked to be put down, and then once down on the ground, scurried off.

"He is getting older, and so much more active" Orion stated.

"That he is. I almost forgot just how fast those minibots grow" Hide stated.

Orion sensed that Hide needed to talk. "Let me get the little ones in bed, and then we can talk" Orion stated. Hide was relieved and nodded. No sooner said than done, Orion had the little ones in bed. "You seem troubled, my love" Orion started.

"Well… I stopped by the med bay…" Hide started.

"Your hip bothering you?" Orion asked, accidentally interrupting.

"No… it wasn't because of pain. I stopped by because I felt off. Like my tanks were rebelling against me" Hide stated. Orion listened. "It wasn't sure if I had a virus or something. So I went to get checked out."

"Betcha Ratchet loved that" Orion said with a slight chuckle, "As he knows you rarely go unless you have to."

Hide smiled at that, but continued, "No, Ratchet wasn't there. Only First Aid, and so he scanned me, seeing if I was ok. I didn't have a virus, but he found out I was sparked…." Hdie started to say before being interrupted again.

"but you told me your sparkling development chamber doesn't function" Orion stated, puzzled.

"I know. It still doesn't. I am sparked what is known as the 'Old-fashioned' way, where the spark grows on my spark" Hide stated, still in a bit of a daze from the news.

Orion smiled softly. "Well, that just means we will have a new life to love"

"Lives, you mean. Aid told me I had three on my spark, which is unheard of" Hide stated.

"Well, if Primus could bless me with twins once, he can bless others with more than what is traditionally known" Orion stated, "by the way, who will be making the little forms?"

"A bot named Tinker. I talked to him. He told me mech aerial bots were the easiest to build. I told him as long as they were healthy mechs, I wasn't too picky" Hide stated.

"I am sure Tinker will do his best. I have heard he is quite the bot when it comes to creating things" Orion stated.

Hide felt better now that he knew he had his mate's support. "I am not sure if Ratchet will ban me from fighting the way he did others, as I don't carry sparklings like they did."

"Well, I am going to believe that he will most likely medically ban you, once he gets over the shock of you being sparked" Orion stated. "And we better inform Optimus."

Hide nodded at that. "You know he probably won't believe me."

"Oh I am sure he will" Orion stated, and he commed his son.

"Orion to Optimus, come in Optimus" Orion stated.

"Optimus here, go ahead."

"Optimus, Hide has been found to be sparked, the old-fashioned way. Aid stated so. I think he needs to be protected from fighting in skirmishes" Orion stated.

"If he is indeed sparked, then he will be assigned to the base only" Optimus stated, a little surprised, but not overly so. "I will speak with Aid to make sure that this is the case, and then we will go from there. Optimus out."

Orion was grateful to hear his son take this seriously. "You see, Hide, he wasn't too surprised and will verify what we have told him."

"You are right, as always, love" Hide stated, nuzzling his mate.

Orion recognized this gesture in an instant. "Does someone need to have some adult fun?" Orion asked, starting to slip back into his other persona. All hide could do was moan and nod. He needed the fun Orion was going to provide. And so Hide followed his mate and allowed Orion to take care of the old weapon's specialist.

Meanwhile, Optimus headed for the med bay, meeting up with Ratchet along the way. "Say, why are you heading to the med bay?" Ratchet asked.

"Something was brought to my attention and I want to verify it" Optimus stated.

"What would bring you to the med bay to verify something?" Ratchet asked.

"A certain bot being sparked in the old-fashioned manner" Optimus stated, not wanting to fully discuss this out in the open.

"Fine, but when we get to the med bay, you are spilling the beans" Ratchet retorted and they both made their way to the med bay.

Only Aid was inside, and he wasn't too shocked to see Optimus here, as he figured Hide or Orion had probably already told the Prime. "Nice to see you, Prime. Welcome back to the med bay Ratchet" Aid stated.

"Optimus came here to verify a bot was sparked the old-fashioned way, now if I might be so bold – who is he talking about?" Ratchet demanded to know.

"Ironhide" both Optimus and Aid replied. Ratchet was stunned and soon crashed to the floor.

"Well, I'm giving him a couple minutes until he comes around. But I will say this, Ironhide is indeed sparked" Aid stated, almost laughing at Ratchet's response.

"Then I will keep Hide at the base. Please put it in his file that he is medically banned from fighting. And make sure to examine Ratchet before he comes to. I think something might be going on with him" Optimus requested as he headed out.

"Yes sir" Aid stated and did as asked. He placed the medical restriction in the computer and then scanned Ratchet. Needless to say, Aid smiled when he realized the real reason Ratchet had passed out. But he would wait until Ratchet came around to tell the old bot what Aid had found.


	68. Chapter 68

Optimus knew after his trip to the med bay to find out if his adoptive father was sparked, the Prime needed to stop by to see his mother Orion. Optimus wanted to make sure that everything was ok. And so, the Prime headed to their quarters.

Optimus knocked on the door and was soon let inside by Ironhide. "HI, Prime, can I do for ya?" Hide asked, knowing that since they were in a public space, he needed to address the Prime as such.

"I have come to see how you and Orion are doing. May I come in?" Optimus asked, knowing he didn't need to ask, but felt compelled so that no one knew these two were his parents.

"Please, Prime, do come in" Hide stated, inviting Optimus in and closing the door behind them. Now they were in private.

"How are you doing, father?" Optimus asked, sounding like a concerned son.

"I'm… okay. Shocked, but ok" Hide answered.

Optimus nodded. "I'd be in shock too" Optimus stated. Optimus also told about Ratchet's reaction to the news. Hide laughed as he had figured that would happen. Orion heard the laughing and headed towards it.

Orion soon entered the area, drawn in by the laughter. "Well, both my mate and my son sparked at the same time" Orion stated. Optimus was relieved that Hide had told Orion after that time when Hide had confronted Optimus about not going on a mission only to find out that the Prime was sparked yet again.

"Yes, mama" Optimus said.

"I thought Primus was going to have your mate carry all the sparklings" Orion stated to his son.

"I guess Primus wanted to give Mirage a rest, as he often is left alone with all our sparklings because I need to be the leader" Optimus stated.

Orion nodded, but added, "you should make sure he gets the help he needs. If I know Mirage, he won't ask for help. He will struggle and continue to struggle and still not ask for help" Orion stated.

"What do you want me to do, mama? I can't be with him all the time, as I am leader and many depend on me" Optimus stated.

"You must learn balance, son" Hide stated.

"I may not be leader, but my duties take me often from our quarters. I always check in on Orion and the little ones during my shift to make sure everything is ok. If he sounds off, I either come to help or send someone he can work with to help him until the issue is resolved" Hide stated, offering more advice to the Prime. Optimus nodded. He was still learning.

"Don't get too stressed, my little one, you are still learning and no one expects you to be perfect, as either a sparkmate, creator, or Prime" Orion stated, rubbing Optimus' helm softly. That made Optimus feel better. He was finally starting to realize he didn't have to be perfect and it wasn't expected of him. He was expected to do his best. That made a huge difference to Optimus.

Meanwhile, Mirage was at home with the sparklings. He knew his mate had gone over to visit Orion and Ironhide. Mirage was glad, as family was important and Mirage knew he would never keep Optimus from visiting. Mirage was just glad that the oldest four were such good helpers.

"Thank you for all of your help Slugbug, Kryptonight, Peacekeeper, and Flasher. You have been very helpful with your younger siblings" Mirage stated, hugging each as he said their names.

"You are welcome" all four said at once, in what sounded like disjointed harmony.

Mirage smiled. "I must let you know…. We will be adding two more to our loving home" Mirage stated.

"Are you adopting them or sparking them?" Krypto asked, curious.

"They will be sparked into our growing and loving family" Mirage explained.

"Yay! More siblings to love" Flasher stated and the others joined in, feeling much the same way. Mirage was relieved. He had told them and they were accepting of it.

"Mama… Krypto has something important to teach you" Keeper suddenly said.

"And what is that?" Mirage asked, warmth and curiosity in his voice.

"You have seekerlings, mom, and I want to show you how to properly care for them and their wings" Krypto stated.

Mirage nodded. He knew nothing about what seekers needed. "Please, my son, teach me so that they will grow big and strong like you" Mirage stated. Bug smiled as he could feel those words meant so much to his twin. Mirage was truly wanting to how to care for the seekerlings and allowing Krypto to teach him. Krypto was patient with teaching Mirage and Mirage was soon learning the finer points of raising a seeker.

"He taught us too" Flasher stated, as he showed how carefully he handled his siblings wings. Mirage was happy to learn this now instead of later.

Meanwhile, at the con base, nothing Megatron had tried so far had induced seeker heat in the young trio. He had soundwave try all kinds of programming and such, but it didn't seem to be working. "Why are you failing at this, Soundwave?" Megatron demanded to know.

"Statement: not failing, programming only prepares. Need other seekers, older seekers, to induce seeker heat" Soundwave stated.

"How do older seekers have anything to do with this?" Megatron demanded to know.

"Seeker trait, older seekers always triggered seeker heat in younger seekers. Way its always been" Soundwave stated, having extracted the information from the seekers programming even though they didn't know it, thanks to his telepathy.

"So how do we do this?" Megatron demanded to know.

"Younger seekers must face with older seekers who know how to trigger heat" Soundwave replied.

That answer left a sour taste in both Soundwave and Megatron's mouth, as the last thing Megatron wanted was for his soldiers to interface. "There is no other way?" Megatron asked, not liking this.

"Answer: no. Only seekers can induce seeker heat" Soundwave replied.

"Then we have to find these older seekers" Megatron stated.

"It will be done" Soundwave stated. Megatron headed off, looking for a seeker older than Starscream and them, as Megatron knew they knew nothing. They would search for this elusive older seeker who could do this and then Megatron would get the soldiers he wanted. It was only a matter of time, or so Megatron thought.


	69. Chapter 69

Megatron was bound and determined to find an older seeker or possibly two who knew the way this whole thing worked in regards to inducing seeker heat. Megatron knew he had slaughtered many older seekers as they were stubborn and had refused to follow him or submit to him, but he knew that there had to be at least one if not more left. He sent his minions on a mission to locate any old seekers that happened to be around. He informed his minions not to tell the seeker that this was for Megatron and Megatron also ordered that Starscream and his brothers be placed in a secret brig in one place and that the three younger seekers be placed in another secret brig in another place, though neither place looked like a brig – the looked like quarters, as Megatron was planning on fooling the older seeker or seekers he found.

Starscream was livid at this. He was not happy to be confined, but he saw little choice, as he and his brothers were now trapped here and their vocal processors shut off so that they couldn't give away what this actually was. Neither Thundercracker nor Skywarp were happy either, but there was little they could do.

Meanwhile, in what once was Old Vos, some of Megatron Minions were searching the rubble. "Man, where are these bots supposed to be at?" one asked.

"Shh. They have exceptional hearing. I advise you be quiet" the other minion stated, but before they could move on, they were spotted.

"Who dares enter the home of the seekers?" Came a screechy old voice. He was ancient, as was his brother who descended to the ground with him.

"We come in search of older seekers" one stated, trying not to tremble in fear as null rays were pointed at them.

"Why do you want us?" the older of the two asked, still suspicious.

"We… we found some young seekers and in order to make them full adults…" the minions started to say.

"What, there are seekers out there that need seeker heat induced?" one asked, knowing the practice was ancient and could be dangerous, as it meant the bots had grown too fast, which occasionally happened if the seeker was sparked glitched. Unfortunately for Starscream, he carried that glitch as did his triplet brothers, so his sons carried it as well.

"Yes" the minions replied. The two ancient, evil looking seekers smiled. It had been years since they had been allowed to do this. The seeker counsel had banned these two as their ways often injured if not killed young seekers.

"Fine, lead us to them" the younger one said.

"Well, sirs, we have two groups of seekers that need your help" Megatron's minions stated.

"Then we will split up" the other brother stated. And that was what they did, with the older brother of the two being led to where Starscream and his brothers were, whereas the younger of the two ancient brothers was led to the younger seekers. The six trapped bots had no idea what was in store for them.

Meanwhile, in the Autobot base, Orion left Ironhide at home and sought out Tinker. After asking many bots, Orion was finally pointed in the right direction to find the bot. "I am busy, sir" Tinker stated, working hard on the forms for Ironhide and his mate, whoever that was.

"I see you are working on proto-forms" Orion stated, "For Ironhide and his mate, correct?"

"Yes, and they will take time, as I must be very careful. So please, sir, not to be rude, but I really do not have much time to talk" Tinker stated as he worked.

"Tinker, I am Orion. I am Ironhide's mate. He told me you had agreed to make the forms and help us" Orion stated.

Only then did Tinker stop, worried he had made a mistake. "Do they displease you?" Tinker asked, as he already had constructed the basic parts.

"No, they are very well done. My mate and I are not picky. We just want them healthy. I came down here to thank you, not criticize you" Orion replied, speaking warmly and softly to the younger bot. He was hoping he could calm Tinker down a bit.

"You… you came down to thank me?" Tinker asked.

"Yes, as I know you didn't have to do this for us, and we really appreciate it" Orion stated, offering the young bot a hug or a handshake. Tinker, feeling like this bot was treating him like a loving mother would, decided to give Orion a hug. It felt wonderful, as Tinker had been without parents for quite some time, they were a casualty to the ongoing Cybretronian civil war. Orion hugged the young bot. "You can do this, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Tinker smiled. "thank you" Tinker stated, and he started back again on the forms, happy as he now knew that the bots he was helping appreciated him and his efforts. IT made him work harder and with more joy. Orion headed home, he wasn't going to tell Ironhide what Orion saw, as Orion figured it should remain a secret for now.

Meanwhile, Optimus was helping out at home, his abdomen now showing a bit. Mirage assisted Optimus whenever Optimus needed it, which was quite often as Optimus was getting closer to sparking. Mirage also helped Optimus with things around the base, with the sparklings, and even with the war effort. Needless to say, Optimus was grateful to have such a wonderful mate.

Meanwhile, the two ancient and older seekers were led to the areas where they were needed. Megatron, monitoring the whole situation, was extremely pleased, as these two seekers, which he hadn't seen before, seemed to have no qualms about doing this. Megatron just hoped he could rope these two into his soldiers once they were finished teaching the other six a thorough lesson on being a seeker adult. Megatron smiled, as for once, his plan seemed to be working.


	70. Chapter 70

In the two secret locations, the minions that Megatron had sent out each led one old seeker that they had found into where the other seekers were trapped. Each ancient seeker was informed that these seekers were having issues and that seeker heat needed to be triggered as they had grown up to fast. The dangerous ancient seekers seemed pleased to hear what their job was with the trine each was presented with. The minions then left and allowed the older seekers to do as they would.

Starscream was terrified when he saw the large, ancient seeker coming for him. "So you three glitches are having issues….I can fix that" the ancient bot Starstealer groaned, his systems ready to go. The three couldn't answer him, as they had had their vocal processors turned off. "Even better" the vile bot stated and he went to work.

In the other location, the younger of the ancient bots looked at the seekers he was left with. HE thought that they were a pitiful sight, but he knew his duty. "Alright, glitchheads, now your mine" Sunblaster stated.

"Yours for what?" one asked, not sure what this was all about.

"It's time for seeker school, and the first thing on the agenda – seeker heat" Sunblaster stated. The three, not knowing any better, nodded and agreed to do as told. Needless to say, all were heavily involved within minutes. These three still had their voices on as they weren't as old as Starscream and the others and they weren't as battle hardened yet and so they wouldn't give away that this was kind of a trap for the ancient seekers.

Meanwhile, the minions returned to Megatron, their initial meeting successful. Megatron was only mildly pleased, as he wanted to make sure this not only worked, but that the old crooked seekers would stay on and help the Con cause. Only time would tell.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base, Optimus was still acting as Prime, but no one questioned him not going out to fight as most knew he was once again carrying precious sparklings. They knew no one who carried was allowed to fight, even the Prime. But they also saw that he did everything in his power at the base to help out, showing that no matter what, every job was important.

In the shared quarters, Mirage was with the sparklings. He loved watching over them. He cared for each and each one knew they were loved. Keeper and Flasher along with Kryptonight and Slugbug really helped Mirage manage the chaos. "thank you, all four of you."

Keeper smiled a huge grin, as he loved when his mama praised him for doing a good job. Flasher ran up and hugged his mother tightly, as he was a mama's boy and he didn't care who knew it. Bug and Krypto just smiled as well and replied "You are very welcome, mom."

"I know it gets crazy, but I really do appreciate your help as your father is kept quite busy being the Prime" Mirage stated. Flasher and Keeper thought little of it, but Krypto and Bug knew it was a big deal.

"We all have a job to do" Bug stated, "as Primus gives us all a purpose."

Mirage nodded, "And sometimes that purpose means we must make sacrifices that we don't like."

"Like what mama?" Flasher asked.

"Like your father. He would love to spend more time with us and help out, but he is needed to run all the Autobots and help give them hope that we can someday all live freely" Mirage stated, trying to avoid the word war. Flasher and keeper nodded, starting to understand more and more like Krypto and Bug.

Meanwhile, Jazz finally felt like tonight was the night he was going to tell Prowl the truth. Jazz waited for Prowl to come home. It wasn't a very long wait. "I'm home, love" Prowl stated, heading straight for his mate.

"Oh…good to see you" Jazz stated, finally drawn out of his musings. HE was trying to figure out just how to tell his mate the news he had been told.

"Something wrong love?" Prowl asked, concerned.

"No… nothing is wrong per se" Jazz responded, not sure exactly how to put it.

"You are acting odd, my love, please tell me what troubles you so" Prowl begged, wanting to help his mate but not sure how as Jazz wasn't saying what was wrong.

Jazz took a deep breath in and looked at Prowl before deciding to speak again. "I… I went to the med bay because I wasn't feeling good.." Jazz started out, hoping Prowl wouldn't flip out. Prowl often had a quick trigger when it came to worrying about Jazz and Jazz's health.

"Are you ok?" Prowl asked, loving concern in his voice. It made Jazz a little less worried about telling the next part. The most critical part of the whole trip to the med bay – the result of the trip.

"I… I found out that I am …. Sparked" Jazz stated, lowering his helm away, fearing the reaction he would get.

Prowl froze for a second, as he hadn't expected that, but then he softened and walked over to his mate, lifting his mate's helm up. "Love, is this what you were so afraid to tell me?" Prowl asked softly. Jazz merely nodded. "My love, you have nothing to fear from me. I will love the sparkling or sparklings you bring into this family."

Jazz looked at his mate, flabbergasted. Jazz looked closely to see if Prowl was lying, but no, Prowl was speaking the truth. Jazz broke down and hugged his mate close. "It…. It's only…. One" Jazz stated, through relieved tears.

"Then when he or she comes, we will love them just like we love all our sparklings" Prowl stated, even thinking of Wingspan, Mirage, and Illusion. Jazz just curled into his mate more, as his moods were everywhere and he desperately needed the love and reassurance that Prowl was offering. Prowl led his mate to the table for energon, made sure that Jazz was completely fueled up, and then led Jazz to bed where the two cuddled even as they slept.


	71. Chapter 71

Optimus was worried, as it had been many a days since the Decepticons had had any major attacks on anything, especially with the seekers that the Cons had on their side. Optimus was worried that Megatron had something very large and vile planned. Optimus beefed up security around the base and no one went alone on any missions. Optimus was bracing for something big as were all the Autobots as this pause felt like the calm before the storm to all who knew what was going on.

Meanwhile, on the Con base, Megatron was growing impatient. He didn't realize that first seeker heats last so many days. He thought it would last a few hours. He was getting more and more agitated the longer it seemed to take. His minions that were not part of the seeker heat experiment were getting regular beatings by Megatron who couldn't control his rage nor did he wish to. He needed his soldiers to be back in action pronto.

"Soundwave, what takes so long?" Megatron demanded to know.

Having done the research, Soundwave offered this answer, "Answer, seeker heat lasts days at a time. First heat usually ten days long. If stopped short, will not be complete adults."

It was a good thing Soundwave had added that last part, as Megatron was about to interrupt the sessions. "So, if interrupted this will fail?" He demanded to know.

"Answer: correct. Must wait for them to be the ultimate warriors. Have heard of the ancient seekers helping them. Those ancient seekers were kicked out of Vos for cruelty to young seekers" Soundwave answered.

"So, they won't have to be tricked and reprogramed to join us?" Megatron demanded to know.

"Reprogramed, no, tricked, possibly" Soundwave answered.

"What do you mean by that?" Megatron angrily growled.

"Seekers are stubborn, will take much trickery to convince ancient bots to join even if they are already bad bots" Soundwave stated. Megatron thought. He knew he could convince them to join, it was just a matter of time.

Back at the Autobot base, during this time of few skirmishes, Optimus felt the oil between his legs. He was sparking. HE hadn't realized it as he had been too focused on the Cons and defending the base from their possible attacks. The stress and pressure he had put himself under made him start sparking just a little sooner than he should have. He commed Ratchet or First aid to come to the office of the Prime, as it was all Optimus could do to get to the bed in his office.

Ratchet came, knowing that he would more likely have the experience needed to help the Prime. Ratchet used his override code as a medic and let himself in. HE was not expecting the sight he was going to see.

"Ratchet…" came Optimus' voice, painful in its utterance. Optimus knew it was Ratchet by the fact that the bot had overridden the code instead of asked to be let in. "Back here."

Ratchet went back. "What in the…" was all Ratchet got out before he saw what was happening. Optimus was sparking his twins and Mirage was nowhere to be found, as Mirage had been sent on a mission and the sparklings were elsewhere.

"Help me…" was all Optimus pleaded as pain wracked his systems.

"Ok, Optimus, you push when I tell you to" Ratchet stated as he prepared for the little ones to come forth. He knew it was only supposed to be twins.

Optimus pushed as instructed and soon the first little femme came forth, big as her brother keeper when Keeper was sparked. Optimus and Ratchet were both stunned by that, but seeing that the femme was healthy, Ratchet set the little one aside safely into a special crib berth and prepared for the next sparkling to emerge. Optimus wished his mate was here, but since they hadn't expected this, Mirage was out on a spy mission who knew where, as Mirage was good at what he did.

The second twin came forth, the same size as her sister, but flashed like flasher had when he was sparked. Optimus smiled at that, and Ratchet sighed. Just what they needed – another sparkling who could disappear at will. She was quiet and patient as Ratchet checked her over. Ratchet then set her down next to her sister. Optimus thought he was all done but he still felt an urge to push. And as Ratchet turned back to Optimus after setting down the femme, Ratchet barely had time to catch a small mech that came shooting out. The mechling was the size bee had been when he had been sparked. Optimus and Ratchet were both shocked, as neither had realized that there had been three growing instead of two.

"Well, I guess they need names" Optimus stated.

"Think you are awake enough to name them?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus shot Ratchet a look, "This is only three, not five."

"True" Ratchet stated, watching over things just in case.

"Well, I think we should call the little mechling WIndcharger" Optimus stated. The little one cooed softly.

"seems he likes it" Ratchet replied.

"Good. And for the femme who can disappear, maybe Mirror, as she seems so much like her mother Mirage" Optimus stated.

"Another good name" ratchet stated, and just as Optimus was thinking of a third name, Mirage entered from the door, as he had recently returned from his mission and been thoroughly decontaminated from it and updated by First aid what was going on.

"And I think for the older femme, we will name her Optima, as she seems so much like Optimus" Mirage added, causing Optimus to smile and blush. The oldest femme cooed at the name.

"Sounds good. Now since mom and sparklings are doing well, I will leave you be" Ratchet stated and soon left.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you needed me" Mirage stated, feeling bad for missing all this.

"It's ok, love. You came back safely. You came back to me, and that is what matters" Optimus stated, nuzzling his mate as they looked at the three new sparklings.

"Guess we are always full of surprises, huh my beloved?" Mirage asked, as he looked at the little mechling who was the surprise.

"Always, but what is no surprise is how much I love you" Optimus stated.

"And it is no surprise that I love you just as much" Mirage stated, happy to have made it home.


	72. Chapter 72

Megatron waited impatiently. This was only day eight and he still had a couple days to go before he could even approach the seekers. He hated it and it showed. He sent his other soldiers out for skirmishes and battles, but each time was only a minor success or a major failure, at least in the optics of Megatron who was sick of getting his aft handed to him so frequently by the Autobots. Even the Armor of Unicron didn't seem to be much help. Megatron was about ready to blow his top from all of this, and if that happened, some soldiers were going to meet their maker.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base, Optimus was now back at Full strength, leading his troops and helping in each battle that arose. He was careful to make sure to help out at home when he could, but many times he was called to the battlefield, as Megatron was now relentless in his pursuit – pursuit of what no one on the Autobot side knew for sure, but if Megatron was pursuing it, the Autobots knew it was their duty to stop him.

This day saw a particularly nasty battle in the deserted citadel of Old Iconia. Iconia had once been a citadel with many amazing bots who studied various forms of art and were artisans of many things, but the citadel was abandoned when Megatron ripped through and slaughtered half the population, killing young and old as he hadn't cared. All he had cared about was that those who died had refused to join him in this fight.

Optimus was standing on a slightly elevated part of the citadel as he watched the battle. Something seemed off, as all they ever encountered now was the Con grounder force. Optimus was grateful not to be attacked on both land and air, but something felt very off. Optimus didn't get long to think about it, as soon, Megatron had arrived and was blasting the Prime, trying to send the Prime to his grave. Optimus moved quickly, dodging the shots and blasting back, catching Megatron in the backside.

"Fight like a real bot, you foul bot" Optimus exclaimed as he blasted Megatron.

"Watch your words, you fool Prime" Megatron screeched back, anger evident.

Optimus blasted Megtron several more times as Megatron approached to attack the Prime. "You'll never get me, Megatron" Prime stated, defiant.

"Enough talk, let's fight" Megatron stated, trying to hide that the Prime's blasts had gotten him good. Optimus was expecting this and began blasting the con leader. Megatron shot back, hitting the Prime several times, but not enough to cause the Prime to fall. Optimus felt each hit and it hurt like the pit but he knew he had to remain standing for his cause and for his troops. Megatron was stunned but didn't let it show.

After a few more blasts from Optimus and a couple from the other Autobots nearby, the Autobots finally drove Megatron back to the safety of the con base. The Autobots were relieved, but they realized the Prime was hurt.

"Prime, we have to get you back to base" one said.

"Yes, you are badly injured" said another.

"I know, my fellow Autobots. Thank you for your help and your concern. We must head back, as I fear that this victory of ours is only going to make Megatron even madder. And next time, he will bring the seekers and it will be a two-front war. I just wish I knew what he was planning to do with them that takes this long" Optimus stated. The others looked to their Prime, trying to understand what he meant. "Alright, Autobots, back to the base. We have much to discuss." All nodded and followed Optimus home, no one yet noticing a small car following them.

Soon, they arrived home and the wounded were taken immediately to the med bay for Ratchet and Aid to check over and patch up. Once again, Optimus had taken the worst beating, and yet once again, he patiently waited for Ratchet to patch him up. Ratchet shook his helm as he patched up the leader – same old Optimus.

Meanwhile, in the shared quarters, Mirage had help from Illusion and Buster as both had come over to get a chance to work with sparklings before having their own.

"I don't know how you manage to do it, bro" Illusion stated.

"Yes, Mirage, all these little ones must wear you out" Buster added.

"Well, Optimus and I love each and every one very much. And when Optimus is unbale to help, there are always others around who are willing to step in and do so" Mirage stated, not adding on that he rarely asked for help as he didn't want to be seen as weak.

"Makes sense I guess" Buster stated, carefully holding the newest little mechling. "What's his name?"

"Windcharger. He was kind of a surprise. We thought Optimus was only sparked with twins, but when he sparked, two twin femmes emerged and then that little guy" Mirage explained.

"Wow, I still can't believe you have 15 sparklings, brother" Illusion stated.

"Well, Flasher, Peacekeeper, Slugbug and Kryptonight are all very big helpers who help me out a lot with the younger ones and I really appreciate their help" Mirage admitted. The four mentioned sparklings beamed with pride as they knew they were big helpers for their mom.

"Who sparked Slugbug and Kryptonight?" Buster asked, confused.

"Neither of us, Buster, they were adopted by us as they had lost their parents to this war. Optimus found them, or I should say they found Optimus after the battle in the ancient citadel of Ion. They were alone and since others had adopted other sparklings and younglings saved from other citadels and youth centers, Optimus decided that we would adopt these two and they had fit right in and frankly, it wouldn't be our little family without them" Mirage stated.

In the other room, not seen by the adults, Bug and Krypto both smiled at hearing that. They were grateful to be in such a loving and accepting family.

"You know something, bug, you really know how to pick 'em" Krypto stated.

"No, I didn't pick them, Primus picked them for us and then lead us to them" Bug stated.

"Either way, I am happy to be here" Krypto stated.

"Me, too, Krypto, me too."


	73. Chapter 73

After several more days, the induced seeker heat was over, and while the younger three were easily tainted by the ancient bot, the older three, Starscream and his brothers, had been more resistive to being tampered with. Sunblaster was thoroughly pleased with himself. "You have all done marvelously" Sunblaster stated.

"We are ready" the oldest of the three said, coloration of his metal slightly darker and more evil looking than it had been before. He had been bright Red and blue, now he was dark red and black. He decided to give himself the designation Thrust.

"Will you follow me?" Sunblaster asked, trying to lure them to the dark side, unaware that they already were part of it.

"We follow Megatron" another stated carefully so as not to offend the much older and nastier bot. This middle seeker of the younger three decided on the designation Sundimmer.

"Who is Megatron?" Sunblaster asked, not angered but curious. He had heard the name as he heard citadels being destroyed, but he had never met the bot.

"He is the leader of the Decepticons. He plans to destroy all those who stand in his way and rule over not only Cybertron but all the known universe" The youngest of the three said. This one called himself Starblaster.

"Really?" Sunblaster stated. He served no one, but if this Megatron was as evil as these three described, he was game to try to helping out, so long as he was no longer banned from initiating young seekers in the way of seeker heat and such. Sunblaster commed his brother, Starstealer, and told him of what had been told to Sunblaster.

"Well, maybe we can make a deal with this 'Megatron'" Starstealer added before getting of the comm. Both the ancient seekers planned to offer a deal to Megatron. Starscream realized pretty quickly that he was so screwed if these two tried to join the effort. But without the ability to say anything, Starscream and his brothers were commanded to lead back to the con base. The three younger ones did so willingly.

Soon all eight arrived. Megatron was standing there, a cold dark figure who few messed with. "I see you have returned with my soldiers" Megatron stated coldly, showing no emotion other than slight anger.

"We Have" Starstealer replied. "And we have a proposition for you."

Megatron didn't like deals unless they benefitted him, so this didn't sound good to him, but he decided to listen. "I'm listening."

"These younger seekers told us of you and your plans. We serve nobody, but we would be willing to help on one condition – that we get to take care of all seekers and initiate seeker heat and such" Starstealer offered, a dark deal indeed.

Megatron thought it over. He didn't like that they wouldn't serve him, however, if he could use their talents to defeat the Autobots they might come in handy. He had read their history and seen that they had been ruthless like he was. "I accept, but one word of caution, you try to usurp my leadership or prevent me from becoming ruler and you pay with your lives" Megatron stated, waiting to see if the dark seekers would agree to those terms.

Starstealer and Sunblaster looked at each other. Would they abide by that? Well, Megatron hadn't asked them to "serve" him but to "respect him and his authority." They figured that they could abide by that- for now. "Agreed" Starstealer stated. And so the alliance was formed.

Meanwhile, back at the Autobot base, Optimus had a bad feeling. He didn't know it was because of the new alliance formed on the Con side of things. All he knew was that whatever had happened was going to make things much more difficult for the Autobots to fight. Optimus continued to keep security a top priority and no one went outside the base unless they were with at least one other bots. All sparklings had their whereabouts closely monitored as Optimus knew these precious bots were bots that Megatron would love to steal, particularly Optimus and Mirage's brood.

All creators were made aware of the potential for their young ones to be stolen. Those who chose not to fight in the battle field were often those who watched over and closely protected the sparklings and younglings of those who had chosen to fight.

Illusion and Buster grew a bit worried, as Illusion was getting closer to sparking. Illusion was on bedrest and he hated it, but he knew he needed to for the precious little ones growing inside him. Buster did his best to keep Illusion happy and as "active" as possible. Illusion was grateful for his mate, even if the sour mood swings came out sometimes form being on bed rest. Illusion felt awful when those came out, and apologized profusely after they were over.

"No need to apologize, love. I know you are struggling with this" Buster stated, offering comfort to his mate.

"But I feel awful for being so sour toward you" Illusion replied.

"I know you have mood swings. Mirage talked to me about those, so I know you don't really mean it when you are so sour" Buster explained. Buster had talked to Mirage about mood swings after Illusion had had his first. Once buster understood, he was more patient with his mate. Illusion really appreciated the patience and only realized now that it was because of his brother's advice.

"I hope they come soon. I can't stand being on bedrest, as I prefer being active" Illusion stated.

"Patience, love. They will come when they are ready" Buster stated. He hoped they came soon as well, but he knew that it could take time too.

Soon, though, the quiet time was interrupted. Illusion felt something between his legs – it was oil. "Um…love?"

"Yes dear?" Buster asked.

"Comm a medic… I think I'm sparking" Illusion replied. Buster took one look, saw the oil and commed for a medic. Illusion tried to prepare, but this was starting to hurt.

Ratchet and Aid both came, as they knew both would be needed for this. Buster let them in and led them to the back berthroom where Illusion was. Illusion was trying not to call out in pain as the contractions ripped through him.

"Okay, Illusion" Ratchet stated. "When we tell you to push, you push." Illusion nodded, anxiously waiting for the little ones to come forth.


	74. Chapter 74

Illusion was in loads of pain, as he was sparking his little ones, but having been raised not to show it, he tried to hide it. It was obvious to all in the room, but Illusion tried. He felt h had to try not to show any pain.

"It's ok to show pain, love" Buster added as he tried to support his mate through this.

"First one is coming. Aid, prepare the crib berth. Illusion, push" Ratchet called out.

Illusion pushed as hard as he could. "ungh" was all Illusion let out as he struggled to push the first one out. Ratchet could only tell that this little one wasn't so little. He knew it had to hurt and Illusion was being stoic with the pain. Soon, the little one finally emerged, but it wasn't so little.

"Big mechling" Ratchet stated as he handed the first sparkling off to Aide to check over and then place in the special crib berth for the sparklings. Aide set the little one down just as Ratchet caught the second sparkling that came shooting out of Illusion. "Precious femme" Ratchet called out, as the small femme was clearly dwarfed by her older brother.

"so far, both sparklings are healthy" Aid added as he checked them over. Both medics were glad that they had both come along for this.

Buster looked quickly at the little ones before smiling and turning back to his mate. "They are so beautiful. You are doing so well, love" Buster encouraged, hoping it would help his mate feel better during this. Illusion smiled at his mate as he continued to try and push out the remaining two that were still inside him.

"Two down, two to go" Aid stated, a reminder to all that Illusion wasn't quite done.

"Thanks…for the…. Reminder…. Oh" Illusion let out between pushes. He was getting exhausted. Buster tried to help in whatever way he could and Illusion did appreciate it, he was just in too much pain to say so.

Finally, sparkling number three decided to come forth. It was another little femme, about the same size as her sister and still smaller than he older brother. Ratchet smiled and handed the little one off. Illusion was starting to getting really tired and really worried, as something seemed to tell him something was wrong with the last one.

After handing the third little one off, Ratchet turned and noticed that Illusion looked concerned, as if something was wrong. Ratchet scanned, concerned as well. Ratchet tried not to swear as the scanner revealed that the last sparkling would not be able to come out the regular way – thanks to being breech and having the cord around its neck.

"Frag! The last one is breech" Ratchet exclaimed and had Aid help him open up Illusion. Illusion and buster just watched and prayed, as it was all that they could do. Ratchet carefully removed plating and such until he was able to reach the sparkling development chamber buried deep inside Illusion. Ratchet was meticulous but also quick, as he didn't want to cause any complications to mom or sparkling. Aid helped hold the armor open as Ratchet removed the last sparkling – a little mechling who was thoroughly tangled in the cord that helped him grow in the development chamber. Ratchet was a bit puzzled by that but quickly removed the cord and the mechling screamed, much to everyone's relief. The mechling was bigger than the femmes but not as big as his older brother.

Ratchet patched up Illusion as Aid checked over the last sparkling. Buster merely watched while Illusion passed out from sheer exhaustion. The sparking had taken much out of the illusionist. Buster just stared in awe at his little ones – well, their little ones.

"Wow" was all Buster could managed.

"You have four healthy sparklings" Aid stated.

"And Illusion will be around soon. I've set up a drip and he is just tired from sparking. I will be having him on bed rest a few more days until these wounds patch up" Ratchet explained.

"Can… Can I name them?" Buster asked.

"Sure, did you and Illusion have any names in mind?" Aid asked.

"Well… I think the first one should be called Tanker" Buster stated.

"Are you sure Illusion will like that name?" Aid asked, not knowing Illusion as well as Ratchet and Buster did.

"I can see Illusion liking that name" Ratchet stated, in support of Buster.

"Thanks Ratchet" Buster replied in appreciation. "I think this femme looks like an Angel"

"Pretty name" Aid replied as the older femme cooed.

"And the younger femme looks like…" Buster was starting to say when the little femme faded in and out. "She looks like a Flicker."

"An excellent choice" ratchet added, though slightly concerned as he thought that they had more than enough sparklings that could disappear at will – including Slugbug. He kept that thought to himself, though.

"And I am not sure what to call the youngest mech, I think it should have to do something with being a miracle to survive…." Buster stated, trying to think.

"What about Fighter?" Aid suggested.

"I think it suits him" Ratchet added.

"I like it. I hope Illusion does as well, as we had only talked about one mech name, as he thought he would have three femmes." Both medics chuckled at that.

"Illusion would think that" Aid stated.

"Yes, he would, because everyone always think he looks like a femme even though he is a mech through and through" Ratchet stated. Buster smiled.

Slowly, Illusion started coming to. His systems had reset while he had been out of it. "Oh…" Illusion muttered.

Buster ran to his mate. "Oh, love. Are you ok?"

"I've been… worse" Illusion stated, starting to become more awake.

Buster smiled. "I named them, love"

"You did?" Illusion replied.

"Yes, please meet, in age order, Tanker, Angel, Flicker, and Fighter" Buster happily announced.

Illusion smiled. "Such wonderful names for such wonderful little ones from a wonderful mate" Illusion stated, causing Buster to blush. The medics smiled, gave one last check over to everyone and soon left. Their job was done. But as for Illusion and Buster, a new job had just begun – the job of parenting.


	75. Chapter 75

Meanwhile, as Illusion and Buster were starting to learn how to become parents to sparklings, Starstealer and Sunblaster were having all manner of morbid fun teaching the seekers how to really be evil seeker bots. Starscream was defiant to the last, and while the two ancients appreciated how feisty Starscream was, they soon made sure he knew he was not top dog as far as seekers went anymore. Starscream's brothers wanted to help him, but couldn't as the two ancient seekers made sure of that. So far, Megatron was pleased with what he was seeing, but he didn't let on and he still didn't trust those ancient seekers. He didn't realize the feeling was mutual, as they didn't really trust him either. Both would keep a close optic on the other.

In the Autobot base, word soon reached Mirage that his twin had sparked and so Mirage, leaving his brood with other bots, went to check in with his twin and Buster. Buster had to go to work and so Illusion was left alone with the four little ones. When a knock came at the door, Illusion reluctantly answered it, but then was relieved to see Mirage standing there.

"Could you use some help, my twin?" Mirage asked, not wanting to impose on his brother but to offer help.

"Could I ever" Illusion replied, obviously tired. "Buster can't help right now, as he has to work."

"I understand how that goes" Mirage replied and soon headed in to meet his nephews and nieces as well as help Illusion out.

"Wow, you did such a wonderful job sparking them, Illusion" Mirage stated as he studied the little ones.

"Thanks" Illusion replied, "but I think they are getting hungry." Mirage dove right in to help feed the little ones and Illusion appreciated the assistance, as both brothers fed two sparklings. Soon, with fully tanks, the little ones were asleep.

"So how are you doing, brother?" Mirage asked, hoping for an honest answer.

"Still learning to be a good parent and creator" Illusion replied.

"that will come with time. Now how are you feeling?" Mirage asked.

"Tired… so tired" Illusion replied, looking exhausted.

"tell you what, brother. I will stay for a while and watch the sparklings. You get some rest" Mirage offered, hoping Illusion would take up the offer.

"That sounds absolutely wonderful" Illusion replied. He was hoping for such an offer from someone, and the fact that Mirage had offered first made Illusion even happier.

"Go on now. To bed with you" Mirage encouraged. Illusion didn't fight it. He soon went to the berth he shared with his mate and settled in. He was out like a light in seconds as he was that tired. Mirage smiled as he watched his twin sleep for a few minutes.

Then Mirage headed to the main room to watch over the little ones. He commed his mate. "Optimus, just to let you know, I am in Illusion and Buster's room watching their little ones so my twin could sleep. Buster has to work so I decided to help out" Mirage informed his mate.

Optimus listened and then replied, "And what about our little ones?"

"they are with bots who know how to watch over them" Mirage replied, which satisfied Optimus. "As soon as Buster comes home, I will head home and then we can have our own fun."

Optimus didn't reveal it, but that last comment made him feel a bit warm. It had been awhile since they had played their own adult games and Optimus was getting close to showing off his Orion side. "Ok" was all the Prime could manage before ending the comm.

A few hours later, with Illusion still asleep, Buster came home. HE was and was not surprised to see Mirage there. Mirage explained why he was there. Buster appreciated the help, but soon sent Mirage on his way, as Buster knew he could take it from here.

With a smile and a nod, Mirage headed for home, unaware that Optimus was already there and had made the quarters just so. Mirage was going to be in for a great surprise once he arrived at his quarters.

Optimus tried to be patient as he waited in his Orion persona but Orion Pax and Patient weren't exactly friends, much less on speaking terms, as Orion Pax had never really been too patient of a bot when it came to satisfying his need for interfacing. Optimus was trying so hard not to run out and find his mate. The wait was agonizing to the former pleasure bot, and just as he was starting to think he would have to go find his mate, the door opened and in walked Mirage. Optimus had never been happier, at least at the moment. And as Mirage was wide-eyed and looking around the room, Optimus swooped in to pamper his mate.

"Wow" was all Mirage got out before Optimus literally scooped him up and carried him to the table where energon was. Mirage was still in shock and so Optimus had to help Mirage drink the first few sips of the energon. But as the shock wore off and Mirage realized what was going on – his mate spoiling the illusionist, Mirage began to play one of the games his mate seemed to love. Mirage carefully "spilled" energon on himself. "Oh… I'm such a messy eater" Mirage started to say.

Optimus' optics lit up when he recognized the game. "I clean it up!" came the excited reply, not in Optimus' prime like voice, but in the voice of little Orion Pax. Mirage could only smile as Optimus tried not to lick off the "spilled" energon as they headed for their shared berth. They played many fun games in the berthroom, helping Optimus feel better and not knowing the once again, Mirage would be carrying life inside him. They were just grateful to spend this time with each other and ended ip wrapped up in one another's arms, deep in recharge.


	76. Chapter 76

Later, Optimus woke and found himself snuggled up close to his mate Mirage. Optimus smiled as he watched Mirage sleep for a bit. Precious moments like this didn't come very often, thanks to both the war and the sparklings, and so Optimus treasured the few times where he could just snuggle with his mate and the other things seemed so far away. Mirage seemed to be recharging peacefully, even the look on his face said so. Optimus was so surprised just how innocent and young Mirage looked as he recharged. Optimus knew that while awake, Mirage was anything but innocent and naïve, but while asleep, Mirage appeared so. Optimus, still a bit tired from the activities that they had done together, snuggled back up to Mirage and went back into recharge. Neither aware that Mirage was once again carrying life.

Elsewhere in the Autobot base, Ironhide didn't like being restricted to the base, but after receiving an audio full from Ratchet, First Aid and Orion, Hide tried not to complain. Hide knew he was in a very precarious position since he carried three sparklings the old fashioned way and neither medic had ever heard of any bot ever carrying more than two on the spark. Ratchet was keeping meticulous records of Ironhide's progress since this was all new. Hide headed for home, limping a bit as his hip was bothering him but he refused to go to the med bay.

Orion heard his mate coming and opened the door. "Are you ok, love?" Orion asked as he let his mate in.

"Just my bad hip" Hide replied, his tone a bit sour from being sore and from feeling restless.

Orion noticed. "Would you like a warm oil bath? Might help with that hip." Orion offered.

Hide thought about it. Maybe the oil would help. "Sure, if I can even get in the tub" Hide offered.

Orion smiled at that. "Not a problem, come with me" Orion stated and he led his mate to the warm oil which had been prepared for Hide.

"You already did this?" Hide asked, stunned.

"Yes, as I knew with the added weight of the new little sparks, your hip might be bothering you more, so I got this ready."

Hide smiled and carefully climbed in with help from Orion. It felt so good. "ahhhh" Hide uttered in relief. It may have been only temporary but at the moment, even temporary relief was better than nothing.

Orion smiled and helped make sure Hide got oil into sore joints and such but also didn't stay in too long as it wasn't good for developing sparklings no matter how they were developing. "Alright, time to get out now, love" Orion stated when he felt it had been long enough.

Hide was a bit reluctant to leave but when he remembered about the little ones he was carrying, he knew Orion was just doing what was best and so hide got out of the tub. "My hip feels a bit better. Thank you love" Hide stated, a strong hand stroking Orion's faceplate.

Orion nuzzled the hand lovingly. "You are welcome, my love" Orion stated. Orion had brought extra energon in and gave it to Hide who drank it slowly as he didn't want his systems to react. With full tanks and a warm oil bath, Hide was getting tired, and so Orion helped Hide to the berth. Hide was soon out like a light. Orion smiled, made sure Hide was comfortable and energon was nearby before going out to watch the little ones they had.

Meanwhile, deep in the con base, Starscream and the other seekers were still undergoing the torment by the ancient seeker brothers. Starscream still was defiant and he planned to slaughter those seekers at some point as they had pissed him off so much. He would bide his time, but if things went his way, those seekers wouldn't be helping or hurting anyone ever again. Starscream knew he had to bide his time. He also knew his triplet brothers would help him when the time was right. Starstealer and Sunblaster kept a close optic on Starscream, as he was much like them to the point they didn't trust him at all. They found, much like Megatron had, no matter what happened, Starscream seemed to survive their attempts to ruin and destroy him. It pissed the ancient seekers off just like it had Megatron. Starscream knew one thing – if he could survive Megatron, he could survive these "buffoons" as he called them.

Back at the Autobot base, Jazz had just returned from a mission with Tracks. They had gone out to survey an area that Cons seemed to be interested in. Jazz and Tracks scoped out the place, but it didn't seem that interesting until Jazz and Tracks found a small youth center, hidden from most bots views. Jazz and tracks had made their way to the center only to find a few adult bots with many young bots. Jazz and Tracks had convinced the adults to bring the young bots to the safety of the Autobot base. Now, Jazz and Tracks had the task of alerting the leader. But before they could alert Optimus, one of the adults had a question.

"You bring us here, yet there is no youth center here. Why?"

"Our leader Optimus Prime believes every young bot deserves a family. We built no youth center because every time we bring in new younglings or sparklings it is expected that some family will take them in and raise them" Jazz explained.

The adults were a bit stunned. "If we choose not to fight and remain here, could we take some in?" another asked.

"Absolutely" Jazz stated. "All our welcome, and you don't have to fight. Optimus Prime has made that clear."

"I would like to meet this Optimus Prime before we do anything further" the third adult from the youth center said. He had heard about Primes like Sentinel who cared only for certain classes of bots. He wasn't going to believe that Optimus was different until he saw it.

Jazz commed Optimus, who reluctantly left his mate and their warm berth, to see what Jazz had commed about. Jazz and the others waited for Optimus to arrive. Jazz hoped Optimus could prove to these adults that this was the right place to be.


	77. Chapter 77

After Optimus had left due to the comm from Jazz, Mirage woke up. Optimus was gone, but Mirage wasn't too surprised. Many things demanded Optimus' attention since he was the Prime. Mirage slowly stretched in the berth before getting up. He would go get all the sparklings once he had gotten a refreshing shower and some energon. After taking a few more precious moments to be lazy, Mirage got himself up, cleansed his frame and then drank some much needed energon. Only then did he head out to get the young sparklings.

He went to Scatter to pick up the newest little ones. "How were they, Scatter?"

"All three were wonderful, but I would suggest feeding Windcharger first, as he gets cranky when left until after his sisters" Scatter offered.

"Thanks for the tip. I will remember that and thank you for watching them" Mirage stated as he took the little ones. Scatter smiled and waved as the group headed off to gather the rest.

Next, Mirage headed to Jazz and Prowl's to pick up the five sparklings Optimus had first sparked. They were all trying to walk and talk now and so it led whoever watched them to watch them closely. Jazz was relieved to see Mirage, as Jazz was exhausted.

"How were they? I hope not too bad" Mirage stated, seeing Jazz looked tired.

"They are constantly on the move and talking, but our Skyfire and our two femmes seemed to keep most of their attention. But beware, they are getting to the stage that they may wander off" Jazz replied, wanting to warn his son.

"Thanks for the advice, mom. Are you ok?" Mirage asked, a bit concerned.

"I am fine. I am sparked and Ratchet has placed me on medical restrictions due to my history. I ask that next time, if you are going to split up your brood, may I take Bug and Krypto or Flasher and Keeper, as right now I can't keep up with so many little ones."

Mirage nodded. "Sure, next time I will make sure you aren't overwhelmed. Thanks for watching them" Mirage stated. Jazz nodded and waved as Mirage headed off. Eight down, seven to go.

Mirage headed to Wingspan and Hot Rod's quarters next, expecting to only find the three seekerlings. Instead, Mirage found the seekerlings plus Slugbug and Kryptonight.

"Oh my… are you guys ok?" Mirage asked, hoping Hot Rod and Wingspan were not overwhelmed.

"We are fine. We asked Smokescreen to send Bug and Krypto here because the seekerlings were acting up and we couldn't figure out what was wrong – turns out they needed their wings rubbed and Krypto and bug were teaching us about how to take care of seekers" Hot Rod stated, as Wingspan was out from the wonderful rub he had received. "Besides, Bug and Krypto made taking care of the other three easy."

Mirage smiled at hearing that. "Thanks for watching them" Mirage replied and now all that were left to pick up were Keeper and Flasher. Mirage hoped that they were ok. What no one yet knew was that Keeper and Flasher weren't where they were supposed to be.

Mirage headed off for Jack and Ratchet's quarters, as they had agreed to take Flasher and Keeper. Ratchet was in the med bay but Jack, the slightly scatter brained bot, was home. Mirage knocked at the quarter door. Jack answered. "Mirage, can I help you?"

"Yes, I have come to pick up the last two of my brood – Peacekeeper and Flasher" Mirage stated, expecting this to be as easy as the others had.

Jack went to find the little ones, but they were gone. Jack searched and searched. As Mirage waited, he grew worried, as the two shouldn't have taken this long to find. Jack slowly came back. "I don't see them here…." He started to say, not realizing how easy of a trigger Mirage had when it came to his sparklings.

"WHAT?" Mirage nearly yelled, upsetting some of his sparklings. "YOU CAN"T FIND THEM?!"

Jack was a bit taken aback at Mirage's reactions. "Well…I… I " Jack started to say.

Mirage was not happy, but he didn't want to stress out the rest of his sparklings any further. HE decided to comm his mate in front of Jack. "Optimus…. We have a problem" Mirage commed trying to stay calm, but the anger was apparent.

"What's the matter, Mirage?" Optimus asked, hearing the angered tone.

"Flasher and Peacekeeper are missing – Jack and Ratchet lost them" Mirage stated, clearly on edge.

Now Optimus was not happy. "Are Jack and Ratchet there to hear this?" Optimus asked over the comm to his mate.

"Ratchet is in the med bay, but Jack is here and can hear you loud and clear" Mirage replied.

"Good" Optimus stated, "Wheeljack you find our sparklings or else I am banning you from all scientific experiments."

Jack was stunned. He didn't realize that Flasher and Keeper were Optimus' sons. "OK… ok" Jack stated and he started looking frantically. He had no idea where the two were. Bug and Krypto grew worried even. They seemed to sense something was truly wrong.

Meanwhile, unaware of the turmoil in the base because of them, Keeper and Flasher had made their way outside the base and into the destroyed citadel. "Flasher, I don't think that this was such a good idea" Keeper stated.

"What are you so worried about?" Flasher asked, liking this freedom.

"I am worried that we are out here without an adult. Suppose a Decepticon finds us?" Keeper asked.

"I don't think they come around here anymore" Flasher stated, enjoying this.

"I still don't like this" Keeper stated. The pair walked on, exploring the ruined city. They were amazed at all the damage as well as how beautiful the city had obviously been. And just as they were heading in one direction they saw shadows of two figures coming up behind them. The two sparklings clung to each other, wishing that they had never let the base as the unknown bots moved up behind them. They hoped that the adults weren't cons.


	78. Chapter 78

Poor little Peacekeeper and Flasher shook as the shadowy figures drew closer. Both wished that they had never left the safety of the base. AS they prepared to be captured, they found themselves carefully scooped up. They were stunned. They looked at the bots who had picked them up. And while Keeper and Flasher had never seen these two before, it was obvious now that these two weren't Decepticons. They weren't Autobots, but more importantly they weren't Decepticons. They were neutrals who had come seeking out the base of the Autobots for sanctuary.

"Where did you two come from?" A mech named Bulldozer asked.

"We… we found our way outside of the Autobot base" Flasher answered as Keeper was still too stunned to answer.

"You are Autobot sparklings?" the other mech, a mech named Pulse, asked.

"Yes" Flasher stated. "We can lead you back to the base."

"Please do" Pulse asked. Bulldozer and Pulse transformed and then placed the little ones inside them to protect the sparklings. Pulse and Bulldozer had no idea that they were returning with not just any sparklings – but two of the Prime's sparklings. Flasher carefully guided the two through the hidden tunnel the sparklings had found.

Inside the base, everything was chaotic and the four who entered didn't understand why. "What is everyone doing?" Pulse asked.

"Probably looking for us" Keeper finally uttered.

"Why would they be looking for you?" Bulldozer asked.

"Flasher had this wonderful idea to sneak out of the base. Well, we did it without telling anyone" Keeper explained.

"Well, sparklings shouldn't be out on their own now, it is too dangerous" Pulse stated.

"And our father is the Prime" Flasher eagerly announced to the two adults. Needless to say, both were shocked.

"You, knowing that your father is the most wanted bot by Megatron ran away? I don't think that was a good idea" Pulse stated.

"I tried telling him that, but he doesn't listen" Keeper stated. He had only gone so the Flasher wouldn't be alone. Now Keeper really regretted it.

Now Pulse and Bulldozer understood why the base appeared so frantic. Pulse approached a nearby by. "Excuse me, can you tell me where I can find the Prime?" Pulse asked.

"Not sure, he has everyone looking for his sons…." The bot replied.

"We found tow sparklings outside the base and …." Was as far as Pulse got before the random bot commed the Prime.

"Prime, we have two new bots, just arrived, said they found two sparklings outside…" was as far as the random bot got before Optimus interrupted.

"I'll be right there" Optimus stated, running for the area where he knew the bot was at.

"here they are, sir" the random bot stated before leaving.

Optimus looked angry, but Pulse and Bulldozer knew most likely that the Prime wasn't angry per se, but very worried. "I understand you found two sparklings outside the base?" Prime asked.

"Yes, sir. These two" Pulse stated and both he and Bulldozer transformed and held the little keeper and flasher up for the Prime. Optimus was as relieved as he was upset with the little ones for leaving.

Optimus took his sons and held them close. "Thank you for finding them" Optimus stated before coming his mate.

"We… we were searching for sanctuary with the Autobots. We are neutrals and our home was destroyed" Pulse stated.

"You are welcome here. I will have Ironhide find you a room. Meanwhile, you must excuse me as I need to get my sparklings checked out" Optimus stated before leaving, knowing Mirage would meet him in the med bay.

Hide approached the two. "You want to stay together or separately?" He asked, not sure if they were family or just friends as one could never tell at first.

"We are mates, sir,… we would like to stay together, if possible" Pulse stated, Bulldozer smiled.

"That can be arranged" Hide stated and he found quarters for them, one that had recently been added. "If you need anything else, let us know." Hide headed out after that.

"Thank you so much" Bulldozer called after hide before he took his mate inside the quarters.

"Wow, these are so spacious" Pulse stated, not knowing this was a standard sized family quarters.

"I agree, love. But maybe now that we are safe, we can start the family we have always wanted" Bulldozer stated, rubbing his mate's back softly.

"That sounds absolutely wonderful" Pulse stated and soon they headed off to try and start their little family.

Meanwhile, Mirage met Optimus in the med bay, as Optimus brought Flasher and Peacekeeper in for a checkup after both had been found outside the base on their own.

"Ratchet" Optimus called out, "I need you to check over my sons."

Mirage entered just a few seconds after Optimus called out after having left the rest of their brood in their quarters with a couple of responsible younglings. Mirage didn't look very happy, but it was because he had been so worried. "Are they okay?" Mirage asked, his worry apparent to all in the room.

"They appear to be" Optimus stated, waiting for Ratchet to confirm it.

Ratchet scanned the little ones. "No harm to either one, both are functioning at their normal level" Ratchet stated.

"Thank you, Ratchet" Optimus stated. "May I take them home?"

"Sure, just don't be too hard on them" Ratchet stated.

"When they get home, both of them are going to their rooms to think about what they have done" Mirage stated firmly, leaving no room for argument from anyone including Ratchet.

"I'm sorry for worrying you mama" Keeper stated. "I left with Flasher because I didn't want him to go alone and he was bound and determined to go."

"Is this true, Flasher?" Optimus asked, curious.

"Yeah, dad. I was so sick of being trapped in the base. I wanted to explore outside. Keeper tried to talk me out of it, but I wouldn't listen" Flasher stated before lowering his helm.

"You two know what your punishment is. I suggest you follow it and think about what you did" Optimus stated. Both sparklings sighed but they knew they deserved this. They had no idea just how lucky they were to be found alive and unharmed.


	79. Chapter 79

Meanwhile, on the con side of things, Sundimmer was struggling with things that the older seekers were teaching him. He tried hard, but kept messing up and the ancients seekers did not take failure well, until Starstealer thought of something. They had just gone through induced heat and though it was rare to happen, occasionally new seekers did spark while in induced heat. "Go see whatever excuse for a medic Megatron has" Starstealer commanded to Sundimmer. Sundimmer, not wanting to be beaten again, headed for what served as the Decepticon med bay, well the con med bay for everyone but Megatron.

Hook was working in the lab/med bay area when Sundimmer arrived. Hook sighed as he saw the broken seeker. "Our lord's work again?" Hook questioned.

"If only. I was messing up and pissed of Starstealer and Sunblaster and got my aft handed to me. Then Starstealer sent me here for some stupid reason" Sundimmer retorted, growing more and more like the ancient seekers by the day, which was and was not a good thing.

"Fine, you scrap metal. Up on the berth" Hook demanded of the young seeker. Sundimmer did as told. Hook repaired the bot and when scanning over the seeker, he found something else he didn't like – Sundimmer was sparked. "You realize I will have to tell Megatron about your mistake" Hook stated.

"Mistake, what mistake?" Sundimmer growled.

"You fool – you sparked" Hook stated, not realizing it was never a good idea to piss off a seeker.

"I don't control my heat, you stupid glitch" Sundimmer stated and before hook could move, Sundimmer had the so-called medic pinned against the wall. "I suggest you watch who you piss off."

Hook hadn't expected the young bot to be so fast. "Let me go or I will order Megatron to execute you" Hook stated.

"Such threats will get you nowhere, as one blast from my null rays and you won't ever talk again" Sundimmer stated, far more over to the dark side than any bot had expected him to be. Sundimmer threw the so-called medic to the floor. "I'll be watching you – keep that in mind."

Hook could only nod. He still was planning on telling Megatron. And once the seeker was out of sight, Hook commed Megatron. "Sir, I must report something to you"

"What now, you foul bot?" Megatron asked, pissed off for being interrupted.

"Those oafish ancient seekers you brought here have created sparklings with one of your seeker soldiers" Hook replied.

Megatron was pissed, at first, but then he thought about it. He could take these seekers and force them to grow just like he had done previously. This could actually work out well, so long as the ancient seekers didn't get in the way. "Make sure the sparklings survive, as I could always use more expendable soldiers."

"Yes sir" stated hook, before ending the comm. Hook had to repair damage on himself as the shove against the wall by the seeker was a bit harder than Hook had anticipated.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base, Optimus was once again fighting in the skirmishes that took place, leading his men and helping the Autobots not be found or taken over by the Cons. Every small victory was worth the effort put in and each defeat made their resolve firmer to continue fighting the fight so that all could live free.

Mirage, knowing that Optimus was often busy and hard to get a hold of, often watched all their sparklings on his own. He didn't mind it, as sometimes it was a great excuse to get out of going on a mission and being sent deep within the Con base. Mirage worked with each of his sparklings so that they knew him and his voice.

"Mom, why don't you get help?" Kryptonight asked. Mirage didn't answer, as he didn't want to say why.

"Yes, mom, you need help" Bug added.

"NO, I can do this. I will be fine" Mirage stated, not realizing he was pouring his own energon all over himself.

"You are not fine, mom" Keeper stated, "you are spilling your energon all over you. You are exhausted. You need more bots to help."

Mirage looked and sighed, as Keeper was right about one thing – Mirage was spilling his energon all over himself. "I just have a lot on my mind" Mirage tried to say.

"mommy, you are tired" Flasher stated, his optics leaving little room for argument.

"I have been through worse…." Mirage started to say, but stopped and he didn't want his sparklings hearing those tales.

"Mom, I don't care if you have survived worse, I am taking you to your bed and putting you there" Krypto stated, shocking Mirage as the little seeker was strong enough to pick Mirage. Mirage didn't have the strength to fight, but then, he also didn't want to hurt Krypto.

Bug watched as his twin took care of Mirage. "Flasher, I want you to go get more sparkling approved energon. Peacekeeper, I want you to find an adult willing to help us" Slugbug stated.

"Will do" Flasher stated, and he was off.

"Be back soon" Peacekeeper stated and he hurried off as well. None of the little ones knew Mirage was tired because he was sparked, they just knew he was tired.

Flasher made his way to the Rec room and searched the energon. He knew which was which by coloration. He didn't find what he was looking for there and headed to the med bay. In the med bay, he found exactly what he was looking for and took it, not realizing First Aid had seen him, but then, Flasher didn't care – he was on a mission.

Keeper was trying to figure out who he could ask. He knew Wingspan, Prowl, Jazz, Hot Rod, Optimus, Illusion, and Buster were busy. He then thought of Scatter. He headed there and knocked on the door. Scatter answered, "Can I help you, Keeper?"

"Yes, mom is exhausted in watching all 15 of us, I was wondering, since Krypto is helping Mirage to be, if you would come and sit with us until dad gets home, please?" Keeper asked politely.

Scatter was worried when he heard the question but seeing that the sparkling was seeking his help, Scatter agreed. "Yes, I will come help out" Scatter stated and he scooped up Keeper and they headed back, reaching the room just as Flasher returned with energon. "All right, sparklings, I am here to keep an eye on you" Scatter stated. Bug and the others smiled, happy to have found help for their mom.


	80. Chapter 80

(I will be off for a few days, so this will be the last update for a few days. Please enjoy the current chapters and I will update again soon.)

Optimus heard through the grapevine what his sparklings had done for his mate. Optimus felt awful about it but also wondered why sparkling approved energon was not kept by the rest of the energon. The energon problem was easily addressed as Optimus commed the Med bay to ask about it.

"Ratchet, why is there no sparkling approved energon in the rec room?" Optimus commed and asked.

"Supply just ran low. We hadn't had a chance to restock it yet" Ratchet replied. "Aid headed there a few minutes ago, to put some more of that energon in the rec room."

"Thank you" Optimus stated, pleased to hear the report.

"You're welcome. Ratchet out" Ratchet replied and ended the comm.

Optimus was relieved that that was handled but was still puzzled by one thing – why his mate wouldn't seek out help with the sparklings. Optimus tried to help when he could, as they had 15, but he couldn't be there as often as he liked as he was leader and part of his job was to lead his army into battle. He tried reaching various bots to see if Mirage had asked for help.

"Nope, and I have been available all day" Jazz stated, as he was still off duty.

"I am at work, I don't know" came the reply from Prowl.

"Buster is at work and I am busy with our little ones. I haven't heard from him" was the reply Optimus got from Illusion. Neither Wingspan nor Hot Rod answered, as they were "busy" with each other, or so Optimus assumed.

Optimus didn't understand it. So, he commed Orion, his mother. "Orion here."

"It's Optimus. And I don't understand something" Optimus told his mother.

"What's that?" Orion asked, knowing Optimus must have been where someone could overhear him if Optimus wasn't addressing Orion as "mama."

"I don't understand why my mate won't ask for help with our little ones. I try to help out all I can, I have even asked bots to help him, but he still seems to refuse the help. Heck, I only learned about my sparklings seeking help for my mate as Scatter commed me. I don't know what else to do" Optimus stated, feeling like he was at his wits' end.

Orion listened. Orion knew something about tower bots that Optimus had seem to have forgotten. "Optimus, sir. Mirage is a former tower bot" Orion replied.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Optimus asked, "as class is no longer relevant."

"Mirage was a tower bot before you became Prime. He was raised that way. One thing that all tower bots at the time were taught was that you don't ask for help. You just push through" Orion tried to explain.

Optimus listened. He often forgot that his mate was a former tower bot. To Optimus, Mirage was just Mirage, his mate and the bearer of his sparklings. He rarely thought of the before. But now, that Orion was bringing it up, maybe it was time that Optimus realized some things don't change just because society recently changed. "You really think that that is the issue?"

"I do. AS Mirage never called Hide or I to help him. We would have gladly helped out. I suggest you go home and help, as someone else can watch for con movements tonight" Orion suggested.

"Sounds like a plan" Optimus stated, ending the comm with his mother and sending out a comm to other bots that he was only to be contacted in an emergency for a the next few hours. Other bots agreed.

Optimus headed for home. He wasn't sure about what he would see, but he was worried that Mirage was in bad shape. He soon made it, and found, much to his surprise, that the quarters were pretty clean and that the only three still awake were Scatter, Krypto, and Slugbug. "IS everything alright here?" Optimus asked.

"Yes sir" Scatter stated, "everything seems to be alright, though Mirage seems to be more tired than usual. He has slept for several hours. I commed Ratchet to put a drip on him."

Optimus didn't like the sound of that, but he nodded. "Is he ok?"

"According to Ratchet, it seems that Mirage is just low on energon" Scatter stated.

Optimus nodded, but he figured that there had to be more to it. HE would figure that out later, for now, he hoped his little ones were ok. "And how are the little ones?" Optimus asked.

"They are doing just fine. Kryptonight and Slugbug were great helpers and they helped me get everyone to bed." Bug and his twin just smiled. They were just happy to have helped.

"Thank you, Kryptonight and Slugbug for being such great helpers. If you want, you can head to bed as well" Optimus stated. Bug and Krypto didn't need to be told twice and they soon headed for bed.

Once those two were out, Scatter and Optimus talked more seriously. "What were you not saying in front of them?" Optimus asked.

"Ratchet discovered more than Mirage being low on energon. Ratchet discovered the cause" Scatter stated.

"And what is that?" Optimus asked, not liking this guessing game.

"Mirage is sparked yet again" Scatter stated.

Optimus sighed. They already had such a large brood. Optimus felt so bad that he had caused Mirage to be sparked yet again. "Sparked again… "Optimus uttered softly.

"Yes, according to Ratchet, it seemed like his body was longing for it" Scatter stated, "But I can understand your worry."

"We have so many, how can we possibly take care of so many?" Optimus asked, not as Prime but as a worried father.

"Take things one step at a time" Scatter offered. "Believe me, it will make things a little easier."

Optimus looked at his old friend. "thank you… for all your help" Optimus stated, grateful for all that Scatter had done.

"Optimus, that is what friends are for" Scatter stated and then left. Optimus now felt better and he headed for where his mate was. Mirage was out of it and lying in bed, the energon drip completed. Optimus smiled, removed the drip and then snuggled close. Optimus set his systems to wake if any disturbances and then fell into recharge, snuggled close to his mate.


	81. Chapter 81

Optimus was still up, all his sparklings and mate asleep. Scatter had long since gone home. Optimus was concerned, as they already had so many sparklings and now, Mirage was carrying more. Optimus knew that at least meant twins, if not more. Optimus wasn't sure what to do as this was so unexpected, as they had talked about holding off for a bit since they already had 15 precious sparklings. Optimus could only figure that since Primus had already lost so many bots to the war, Primus was blessing families with more sparklings than usual.

Optimus wasn't sure he liked it, but there was little he could do about it. He headed towards his berth where his mate was still a bit out of it but the energon drip had finished. Carefully, Optimus removed the drip as Ratchet had taught the Prime how to do so safely. Once the line was unhooked, Mirage seemed to wake. Optimus just watched.

"Beloved?" Mirage whispered softly, slowly rousing.

"I am here, my sweet. How are you?" Optimus asked, very concerned about his mate.

"I am… okay" Mirage uttered softly again, still slightly out of it but coming around more.

"You sure about that?" Optimus queried, knowing what had happened.

"Yes, I am sure. Is something wrong?" Mirage asked, curious.

"Well, I learned from Scatter that you hadn't asked for help from other adult bots, as our sparklings had sought him out. I know I can't always be here as often as you need me. I was just curious as to why you chose not to seek help yourself?" Optimus asked, hoping not to set off Mirage.

Mirage lowered his helm. "I..I don't like to ask for help. It… it shows weakness. And… I don't want to be seen… as weak" Mirage admitted.

"My love, asking for help does not show weakness. It takes great courage to know your limits and seek help when you need it" Optimus replied.

"Easier said than done" Mirage replied, remembering how he was brought up, even if he wasn't treated that well by his creators.

"I know it will take time for you to see that most bots here are more than willing to help if you but ask. I don't expect it to happen overnight" Optimus stated, much to Mirage's relief.

"So, what brought you home?" Mirage asked, figuring something the sparklings had done had brought the Prime home.

"Scatter commed me and asked me to come home, as he had something important to tell me" Optimus answered, telling the truth.

"What was so important that would bring you home?" Mirage asked, making Optimus feel bad, as it meant Mirage didn't even see himself being a good reason.

"Something was up with you" Optimus replied.

"Yeah, I was a little low on energon. It happens when you watch sparklings alone" Mirage replied.

"But there was more to it" Optimus stated.

"More? What more could there be?" Mirage asked, still hating guessing games.

"Well, when Scatter commed Ratchet to come see you, Ratchet not only hooked up an energon drip, but he also scanned you. He found something on that scan. My love, you are sparked yet again" Optimus stated.

"Sparked?" Mirage replied, "Really?"

"Yes, I commed Ratchet and he confirmed it" Optimus answered. At that, Mirage passed out. Now Optimus was very concerned. Having never gone with Mirage when Mirage was found to be sparked, Optimus had no clue that this was typical for Mirage. Optimus rushed his mate to the med bay after comming a trusted bot to watch the little ones.

"Ratchet…" Optimus called out, carrying his mate in.

"Yes, Prime. How can I help you?"

"Mirage… he… he just passed out… right in front of me?" Optimus stated nervously. The worry was clear in his optics.

"Well, what was he doing before he passed out?" Ratchet asked, trying to find the reason.

"Well… I had just told him… he was sparked" Optimus replied.

That was all Ratchet needed to hear. Ratchet calmed down and stopped looking so hard. "He will be fine" Ratchet stated.

"But…But?" Optimus asked.

"Prime, Mirage always has passed out when he is first told he is sparked. IT always happens. Give him time, he will come to" Ratchet stated.

"Are you sure?" Prime asked.

"100% positive" Ratchet stated, and already Mirage was starting to come around. "Now I suggest you two head home." Optimus nodded and carried his mate home.

Ratchet chuckled after they left. He knew Mirage was safe. First Aid was on the other side of the med bay and so came over. "Okay, Pops, your turn to be scanned again" Aid stated.

"Must you call me that?" Ratchet answered, though it was clear to Aid that it was friendly banter.

"I think you would prefer pops to 'mommy' or 'doc bot'" Aid answered.

"Good point" Ratchet stated and he allowed Aid to scan him.

"Right on track" Aid stated.

"I still can't believe I am sparked yet again" Ratchet stated.

"I kind of figured that the day you came in and passed out when you found out Hide was sparked the old-fashioned way" Aid replied.

"I still can't believe he is sparked" Ratchet stated, about as far along with his own as Hide was with carrying his.

"Well, Tinker is working on the forms if you need proof" Aid stated.

"No thanks… I think I better get home" Ratchet stated, feeling like he needed his mate. "Don't comm me unless it is an emergency."

"You got it" Aid stated and he cleaned up around the med bay as Ratchet headed for home.

Meanwhile, at the Con base, things were getting more and more interesting, as Megatron was watching the older seekers whip the younger ones into shape, well – all but Starscream who remained defiant to the last. It seemed like nothing anyone did could destroy the rebellious seeker. Megatron and the two ancient seekers had already tried. Starscream was just bidding his time until he could make his move, and then anyone who got in his way would pay the ultimate price. IT didn't matter to Starscream – con or Autobot, all would someday bow to him, or so the seeker thought.


	82. Chapter 82

And while Optimus was wrapping his head around his family growing and Ratchet was getting satisfied by his mate, Ironhide was struggling. This was something he had never expected would happen. He didn't have the same kind of signs that his mate had had while sparked the other way, but Ironhide felt more useless. Part of the reason he felt useless was because he was not only banned from battle, he was also banned from caring for the weapons the Autobots used in battle. Orion had begged the Prime to stop Hide from taking care of the weapons and Optimus had granted the request. Hide didn't say anything, but he hated it.

Orion noticed that his mate seemed more worried and more stressed ever since being banned from battle and the weaponry area. "Something wrong love?" Orion asked gently, not want to incur the bigger bot's wrath for asking. Orion knew that mood swings were common in sparking and bots that were sparked the way Ironhide was could have very violent, angry mood swings. And with Orion being much smaller than his mate, Orion was careful.

Hide turned slowly towards his mate. "What am I supposed to say to that?" Hide asked, not angry, just feeling lost.

"Well, the truth would be a good start" Orion carefully encouraged.

Hide sighed. He didn't want to tell his mate the truth, but Orion's soft optics left no room for lying. "(sighs) It is hard to be happy when all has been taken from you" Hide finally managed.

"You still have me and our precious little ones" Orion reminded hide, not realizing that Ironhide wasn't talking about that.

"I know, my love, but I miss being in action…. Taking care of the weaponry. I hate being restricted to the base and I feel like a prisoner trapped in our quarters" Hide finally revealed.

Orion's optics went wide. He hadn't expected that. Hide was missing being an active bot. Orion felt awful. "I… I am sorry…" Orion whispered, though hide heard it.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Hide asked.

"It was I who asked Prime to restrict you from the weaponry room, as I feared that I could lose you and the sparklings if something went wrong" Orion revealed.

Hide had figured his mate had said something, but hadn't thought about why his mate had asked until Orion revealed the truth. Orion had been worried that Hide and the little ones would be injured or killed if Hide remained in the weaponry room to clean and inspect weaponry while sparked. "I.. I guess I didn't think of it that way" Hide finally managed, only then seeing how upset his mate was by all this as well as how frightened Orion appeared to be of Hide. "Something wrong?"

"I…I just don't want to incur…. Your wrath" Orion stated, stunning Hide.

"I will never intentionally hurt you, my love" Hide quickly responded. He wanted to calm his mate badly, but Orion was still unsure of things. "Please, I need you… I can't do this alone."

Only then did Orion approach his mate. Orion was still a bit skittish, but Hide made no sudden moves. Hide really did need his mate, as he felt a powerful need for comfort. Not interfacing, just comfort that he would make it through this. Orion felt the emotion and was soon embracing his mate, fear far removed as Hide wasn't emanating angry energy anymore. Hide snuggled into the hug and embraced his mate. This was just what Hide needed to help him get through this mood swing.

Meanwhile, in another part of the base, Illusion was frantically searching as all four of his little ones had wandered off to who knew where. Illusion tried to comm his mate, but Buster was in a meeting and was unable to receive the comm. Illusion understood, but it still frustrated him. What Buster had forgotten to tell his mate was that all four hadn't wandered off, but were with Wingspan and Hot rod as well as their brood, as Buster had been trying to be nice and give Illusion a bit of a break from the little ones.

Illusion, in panic mode, commed Jazz, hoping for help. "Jazz here, how can I help youi?"

"Mom, it's Illusion. I can't find my babies ANYWHERE!" Illusion stated, trying to remain calm, but failing to do so. Illusion was frantic.

"Have you tried contacting your mate?" Jazz asked, unsure.

"I tried, but he can't respond as he is in a meeting" Illusion stated, quiet panic lacing his words.

"Give me a minute, I am going to comm someone" Jazz stated, and he put Illusion on hold. Jazz commed Mirage, and mirage denied having the little ones. Then Jazz tried Wingspan, who told his mother that Buster had dropped them off earlier to give Illusion a break. Jazz thanked his son and then commed Illusion back. "Illusion, you still there?"

"Yes, mom, but I still can't find them!" Illusion answered.

"Calm down, my son. Buster brought them to Wingspan's place" Jazz relayed to Illusion. Illusion was relieved but still upset. Why hadn't his mate told him? Illusion headed over to Wingspan's place.

Wingspan greeted Illusion. "Brother, I can understand how upset you are, but please go easy on your mate" Wingspan said as he gave the four little ones back to Illusion.

"Why should I? He nearly scared me out of my mind by not telling me where he had taken them" Illusion replied.

"Because when you tell him that you freaked out that you couldn't find them but finally say where you found them, he will feel bad enough" Wingspan replied, having seen it happen several times with various bots.

"I… I make no promises, but I will try not to lose it with my mate" Illusion stated, relieved to have his babies back.

"Go home, bro. He will soon be home as well" Wingspan encouraged. Illusion headed for home.

Once at home, Illusion got the little ones fed and to bed just before Buster came home. On his way home, Buster realized he had failed to tell his mate where he had left the sparklings and he felt awful. When Buster arrived, he was surprised to see the quarters clean, the sparklings asleep and energon on the table for him. He felt even worse. Illusion noticed right away. "Some energon love?" Illusion asked softly.

"You did this for me? After what I failed to tell you?" Buster asked, the remorse clear on his face.

"Yes, love, as we all make mistakes" Illusion stated. Buster felt a bit better and enjoyed the energon before they both headed to bed.


	83. Chapter 83

Elsewhere, Scatter found himself digging deep into the archives. He was searching for something to see if any record had been made of his creators or who they might have been. HE was far back in an old archive when he stumbled across something that he hoped wasn't true – he found that Orion Pax had been the second born of a pair of twins. Scatter was stunned, as all his life, all he had ever known was that Orion Pax was an only sparkling. Scatter was concerned about his friend, and dug further, to see if there was any record of Orion's older twin.

Scatter searched and searched, his own search put on hold because of this new information. Deeply buried in the old archive, Scatter found an old medic report that the older Orion had been sparked with twins, but that the older of the two had been stolen by another bot. Scatter tried and tried to find more, but found nothing further. Scatter was curious and he hoped to help Optimus by finding out who Optimus' twin was. The thing was, when Scatter found out, he would really have to consider if he should tell his friend.

Scatter put that search aside and tried to find his own creators or anything about his own family. He learned something shocking – he had been sparked as a tower bot but traded to a pleasure bot as a form of payment. Scatter felt used. He hated his creators – as he had merely been seen as a commodity, a way to buy pleasure. It sickened Scatter and he left the computer, after making sure he exited out of everything he had been in. He went to talk to Orion for a couple reasons – Scatter had questions about his own existence and Optimus being a twin.

Orion was at home alone, as Hide had taken the sparklings to visit another bot. A knock soon came on the door. Orion answered. "Scatter? What are you doing here?"

"I… I come with questions that I hope you can answer" Scatter stated, his worried affect plain to see.

"Do come in. I will help answer what I can" Orion stated, allowing the younger bot inside. "Please sit down."

Scatter sat. He was still a bit dazed from what he had learned. "You ok, scatter?" Orion asked.

Scatter shook his helm. He was still stunned. "Is… is it true that I was traded to a pleasure bot?" Scatter asked.

Orion looked at the worried young bot. "Do you want to know the truth?" Orion asked, searching to make sure that the bot did indeed want the real truth. Scatter nodded, he needed to know. "The answer… is yes" Orion stated, the answer leaving a bad taste in his mouth. "You were given to me by an upper-class bot, but I couldn't raise you and Orion, so I gave you to another bot to raise."

Scatter was speechless for a bit. He hadn't wanted it to be true, but it was. He had been given away simply because one of his creators wanted pleasure bot pleasure. Scatter was trying not to be mad and trying not to cry. Orion went to hug the young bot. Scatter leaned into the hug, still feeling numb from what he had learned. Orion just held Scatter as the bot processed what had been said. Scatter wasn't sure how to process all this and soon crashed into temporary stasis lock as it was too overwhelming.

Orion watched the young bot, but was a bit worried. If Scatter had figured that out, what else had the bot found. Orion could only pray that Scatter had not found out anything regarding Optimus. But Orion was soon going to learn that Scatter had found some things on Optimus that Orion wanted no one knowing.

Scatter soon emerged from his temporary stasis lock and saw he was still in Orion's quarters. "Uhhh" was the first thing Scatter moaned.

"Good to see you back" Orion stated, offering energon.

Scatter took the energon and drank slowly. "Orion, sir, I have one more question" Scatter answered with, "Was Orion Pax a twin?"

Orion lowered his helm. Scatter had found out too much information. Orion wasn't sure how to answer this, so he started with this, "What is spoken now, stays in this room, you hear me?"

Scatter realized he had hit a sensitive nerve when Orion said that. "Yes, I agree" Scatter stated, wanting to know more.

"Optimus, formerly known as Orion Pax, was indeed a twin, and his older twin was stolen at berth" Orion started.

"If I may ask, is the older twin still alive?" Scatter asked.

"Unfortunately, the answer to that is yes" Orion replied.

"Why is that unfortunate? I would love to have a twin" Scatter stated, not understanding.

"Because…. Optimus' twin…. Is Megatron" Orion finally revealed.

Scatter was stunned. He had no idea. He had thought that Orion Pax had survived and the older twin hadn't. Never in a million years did Scatter think that Optimus and Megatron were twin brothers. Now what Orion said about staying in this room and wishing the twin were not alive made sense. Scatter looked to Orion, who looked shaken up by this. Scatter offered a hug. "I am sorry if this made you so uncomfortable. Now that I know the truth, I can't tell Optimus."

"Never tell him. I fear it would trigger a twin bond and then the two would never be able to get out of one another's processors. Optimus would be forever tormented by Megatron" Orion stated, showing how grave the situation would be.

"You have my word that none of this will reach Optimus" Scatter stated.

"It had better not" came hide, who had just come home and heard the end of the conversation. Thankfully, all the sparklings were asleep in Hide's arms.

"I understand, sir, it will go no further" Scatter stated, assuring Hide that this truth would remain hidden. Hide nodded and Scatter left. Orion hadn't liked telling the truth, but he had seen no other way out of this. Both just hoped that Scatter will never tell anyone.


	84. Chapter 84

Scatter was now on his way out, still a bit miffed at what his creators had done, but he felt more burdened by the secret of knowing that Optimus was a twin to that vile Megatron. Feeling it was too heavy of a burden and he might accidentally release the information, Scatter encoded and let it fall into secret storage in his processor. He would still know, but it wouldn't weigh as heavily on him, as he wasn't actively processing it. Scatter headed for home, as he felt he needed to decompress after what he had learned.

Elsewhere, Mirage had come to after passing out and was acting like things were per usual. He didn't let his being sparked stop him from doing things, including going on missions. Optimus hadn't yet put Mirage on medical restrictions and so Mirage was constantly receiving missions. This day, Mirage had left their fifteen sparklings with other bots and was deep inside the con base, trying to see what the Cons were going to do next. Mirage didn't like what he overheard.

"Megatron, sir, those new seekers are working out well" a minion reported. Mirage was curious – new seekers? He continued to listen.

"Ah yes, but can they be trusted?" Megatron asked in his usual dark tone.

"I am not sure, sir, as the younger seekers that you transformed have been talking" the minion replied.

"And just what have they been talking about?" Megatron demanded to know. He had a feeling, but he needed to know for sure.

"Overthrowing you and placing the ancient seeker brothers in power" the minion replied, knowing he could receive death from either side.

That made Megatron's energon boil. He was livid, but decided he would play it cool. "Tell me, where are the seekers now?"

"Starscream and his brothers are in the brig for defiance. Sundimmer and his brothers are with the ancient seekers in the destroyed seeker home of Vos" the minion replied, unaware that the seekers were returning from Vos at that moment. Mirage couldn't believe his audios. There were still ancient seekers around? What had happened to the young seekers he had seen? Mirage couldn't listen anymore and tried to escape the base. He almost didn't make it.

"Did you sense somebody in here while we were talking?" Megatron darkly asked his minion.

"I did, sir, but please keep in mind, some seekers can be quite stealthy" the minion replied, unknowingly covering Mirage's aft and making Megatron even angrier at the seekers.

"They will pay for this betrayal" Megatron stated, "Mark my words."

Mirage headed out of the base like there was no tomorrow. He needed to get home and needed to tell Optimus what had happened. However, as he was on his way, he was spotted by the forementioned seekers. Mirage was dodging blast after blast, trying to use his invisibility shields to protect him and his developing sparklings.

"Mirage to base, come in base" Mirage commed over the commlilnk.

"Base here, go ahead Mirage" came the reply from Jazz.

"In need of help, under attack by seekers. Heading back to Autobot base from Con base. Am sparked and under heavy fire" Mirage stated, as he dodged blasts.

Jazz was extremely concerned when he heard the "sparked and under heavy fire." Jazz checked Mirage's file and Mirage was under no restriction as of yet. Jazz couldn't understand that as the Prime was usually good about making those changes. Then Jazz dug deeper – Optimus had put the restriction on but some bot had removed it. That made Jazz mad. He commed Optimus.

"Prime we have trouble" Jazz called out.

"What's the latest, Jazz" Optimus replied, not understanding why he couldn't find his mate.

"Mirage is out and under fire" Jazz replied.

That made Optimus furious. He knew his mate shouldn't have been out, but he calmed himself as he knew fury wouldn't bring his mate back. "I put him on medical restrictions, why is he out?"

"Some bot removed the restrictions and sent him out" Jazz stated, " Mirage reports he is under heavy seeker fire. Orders sir?" Jazz stated, knowing they could yell at the bot who removed the restrictions later. Right now, they had to save Mirage.

Optimus listed off a bunch of bots and commed them, asking them to roll out with him. "Jazz, you stay by teletran 1 and keep us up to date" Optimus ordered, knowing Jazz was on the restrictions.

All acknowledged the orders and soon Optimus and the others were rolling out to save Mirage. Mirage had been hit a few times, but fortunately, so far, nothing was major. The seekers were having a blast. The seeker fire also gave Mirage cover, as Megatron would most likely now believe that one of the seekers had been undercover in the base instead of Mirage, but that would only help Mirage if he got home in one piece.

Optimus and the others soon found where the seekers had surrounded Mirage and began firing upon the seekers. The seekers took flight, and were soon fighting with the aerial bots, while the ground bots helped out the aerial bots. Optimus blasted and blasted as did the others until the seekers finally gave up. Mirage was in rough shape, but alive. Optimus and the others helped Mirage get the rest of the way back to the Autobot base.

Once at the base, Optimus immediately took Mirage to the med bay. Ratchet didn't look too happy to see the sparked Mirage looking like he had been in battle. "I put him on restrictions, just like you said to Ratchet, but some bot removed those restrictions" Optimus stated, obviously as upset about the whole thing as Ratchet.

Ratchet didn't like hearing that. Ratchet scanned. "Well, the triplets he is carrying are safe, and most of this damage is minor" Ratchet stated, "But I want to know what bot would remove the restriction."

"I am on it. Can you keep Mirage here for a bit?" Optimus asked.

"Sure thing, Prime" ratchet stated, and he kept a watch over Mirage while Optimus checked on which bot had removed the restrictions. He found out quickly – it was Mirage's supervisor, the same one who had sent Mirage when Mirage was close to sparking their seeker sons. Optimus was livid, and unknowing pulling a page from his twin brother's book, Optimus sought out this "supervisor."

It didn't take long, as an angry Prime was not a good thing and most bots pointed the way. The "supervisor" had gone rogue for the last time. The supervisor soon found himself face to face with an angry Prime. "You have just sealed your fate" Optimus stated, and though he hated to do this, as Prime believed all had a right to exist and be free, this bot had burned his chance for the last time. In private, Optimus ripped the bot's spark out and let it go, so that Primus could direct where this spark went. Prime headed it for the pit. Optimus opened the door and soon had a couple other bots clean up the scrap metal that had been left behind. The others knew that this was a fitting punishment for a bot who dared attack the Prime's mate.

Only then did Prime head back to the med bay. Ratchet saw the energon on the Prime's hands. "He will no longer be a problem" Optimus stated. Ratchet merely nodded, not wanting to ask, but knowing most likely what the prime had done. Optimus let it be at that, and went to his mate. The Prime's family would not be threatened ever again by that bot.


	85. Chapter 85

Word quickly spread through the Autobot base about what had been done to the rogue bot and who had done it. And while many understood, Orion was worried and with good reason, or so he thought. Since Orion Pax had received half his data from Hellion, Orion worried that this was that side coming forth and that it wouldn't be stopped. What Orion didn't realize was that the Matrix of leadership that Optimus carried muted much of the evil impulses from that side, though not quite all especially when it came to Optimus protecting his mate and family.

The older Orion went to his mate. And though Hide was sparked, he could tell Orion needed to talk. "What's on your mind love?" Hide asked, seeing the worry.

"This whole thing about Optimus ending a bit's existence the way he did" Orion stated in all honesty, happy their sparklings were elsewhere for the time being.

"Why does this concern you? A Prime is given that kind of discretion for such an instance" Hide replied.

"Because I fear the dark side will come out in Optimus like it did in Megatron as they both share data from that awful gladiator Hellion" Orion stated bluntly, reminding Hide of who Optimus' twin was and who their sire had been.

Hide listened closely, and offered up this, "Orion, before this, has Optimus even shown any tendency towards going rogue?"

"No, he has always been a sweet bot, one who preferred to please instead of fight" Orion stated, thinking back on how Optimus used to be when he was Orion Pax.

"And you raised him that way, right?" Hide asked, getting Orion to think more.

"Yes, as I hoped raising him to be contributing member of society would overcome the evil data in him" Orion replied, smiling at old precious memories that came forth of little Orion Pax.

"Then I do not think you have anything to fear about Optimus going rogue. If he was going to go rogue, he would have done so a long time ago. We all have good and evil nature in us, and how we are raised helps determine our paths. It is said teach a sparkling in the way he should go, and when he or she is older, they will not stray from it. Optimus may have a slight anger issue when it comes to those who will hurt his family, but I think your raising of him will help him keep more on the straight and narrow" Hided stated, trying to comfort Orion.

Orion did feel comforted by that reminder, and he hoped Hide was right. "Thanks…" Orion stated, snuggling closely into his mate. Ironhide held Orion close as they embraced. Hide understood Orion's worry but he also knew that Optimus had a good head on his shoulders. Hide trusted that Optimus would be a good leader as he had already shown so far. Yes, Optimus and Megatron truly were two totally different bots and were showing that while two bots could share data, how they were raised also showed how they could end up.

Meanwhile, in the quarters and now that Mirage was back home, Optimus had taken time off to be with Mirage, and told other bots to only comm him in an absolute emergency. Optimus left Jazz in charge for the time being and Optimus tended to his family, both Mirage and the sparklings. Optimus felt awful for how he had disciplined the bot who had harmed Mirage, but Optimus knew that the bot had left Optimus no choice in the matter.

"Beloved? You ok?" Mirage asked, feeling better now that he was home. Thankfully they had managed to get all the sparklings to sleep.

"I…. I don't know. It bothers me that I had to punish him like that" Optimus stated, his Orion side slightly showing, concerning Mirage a bit, but Mirage knew Optimus needed reminders and wisdom.

"Love, this is war. And sometimes, we have to do things we would rather not do or hate to do. I hate fighting, but if it means we and our sparklings may one day live free, I will do it" Mirage explained, showing what he chose to continue fighting for freedom even though he hated fighting with a passion.

Optimus looked at his mate curiously. Mirage was very wise it seemed at times, though Optimus knew Mirage didn't always use that wisdom wisely. "You are motivated to fight because of them?" Optimus asked, starting to sound even more like Orion.

"Yes, because just like us, they deserve a chance to grow up in a world with freedom. While we had limited freedom due to classes, we now have an opportunity to have real freedom, where all are valued and all can live as one" Mirage stated, pulling his mate in close. "War is awful, beloved, but right now, it is the only thing standing between us and certain demise from the Cons."

Optimus/Orion listened carefully to the words his mate spoke. He had never really listened to his mate or heard his mate be so wise. Optimus knew the Matrix offered much wisdom, but he seldom sought out current living bots for wisdom. Well, his mother yes and Ironhide, but few others. He had to wonder if talking to other bots would provide him more insight. He needed to know, but not before he had a good snuggle session with his mate.

"The sparklings are sleeping, baby" Mirage whispered in Optimus' more sensitive audio, drawing Orion out and helping push Optimus back for a moment. "And I am all hot and bothered being this close to you."

Orion soon came out and was ready for fun. Mirage was enjoying this. He knew Optimus needed this as it had been a while since Optimus had been able to allow this side of his personality out as the Cons had recently been relentless in their attacks now that the seekers had somehow returned. Needless to say, Optimus was soon feeling better and so was Mirage.


	86. Chapter 86

Optimus later woke, finding himself wrapped in Mirage's arms. Well, as wrapped as he could be considering he was much bigger than his mate. Optimus had to smile. Mirage was such a wonderful mate to him and a wonderful mother to all their sparklings, adopted or otherwise. Optimus wondered how he could show his mate just how much Mirage meant to Optimus. He wanted to go talk to Illusion for ideas, but he would do that later, as this snuggling felt so good.

Mirage stirred. "Everything ok, beloved?" Mirage asked softly, warmth in his voice.

"It is now, my sweet" Optimus replied, snuggling close into his mate. "I feared I was going to lose you when you were sent out on that mission."

"There is something I don't understand love" Mirage stated.

"What is that, my sweet?" Optimus asked, having a feeling what the question would be.

"You knew I was sparked, as did the medics in the med bay. I thought I was on restrictions. If I was placed on restrictions, why and how was I sent on a mission deep in the Decepticon base? I thought that was too risky for a sparked bot" Mirage asked, seeking answers that only Optimus could give him right now.

"It is true that the medics and I put you on medical restrictions due to you being sparked. It is also true that sending a sparked bot on a mission deep inside the Con base is something I would never allow. Now that being said, what happened was this – your former supervisor broke into your file and removed the restriction that I and the medics had placed in there. He was bound and determined to use you for missions regardless of your current status" Optimus explained.

Mirage nodded as he listened as that all made sense, but the words "former supervisor" piqued Mirage's curiosity. "Former Supervisor?" Mirage asked, not mad, just curious.

Optimus lowered his helm, sighing, before slightly raising it again to admit what he had done. "Mirage, I was upset, as you were put in great danger. I had warned him time and time again, yet he refused to listen. This was the last straw, and after I learned he had removed your restrictions and sent you out – I removed his spark from his body and allowed Primus to do with it what he saw fit. When I noticed the spark turning red, I knew where it was headed – the pit" Optimus stated, not proud of what he had felt he had to do to protect his mate.

Mirage listened carefully, easily telling that this was not something that Optimus was proud of. Optimus had hated to do this, but he saw little choice in the matter. Mirage, accessing something he had downloaded earlier so spoke. "Optimus, you are Prime and what comes with that are certain responsibilities. Not too long ago I was reading up on some old laws that had been passed by earlier Primes. One told of how a Prime could potentially punish a bot for harming or killing the Prime's mate, up to and including death of the offending bot. You merely did what the law allowed" Mirage explained.

"Even so, I still don't like it" Optimus replied. He didn't want to do that. He wanted bots to have a chance.

"Optimus, you yourself have said he had been given many chances and ample opportunities to change his behavior and make better choices with those chances. He chose not to use those chances wisely. He chose to remain on the same course that you had tried to redirect him from. There was little left you could do. He obviously had gone rogue" Mirage answered, trying to reassure his mate who was still bothered by this whole situation.

"I think I need to strengthen the context behind that law, so that no Prime may immediately terminate a bot for harming or accidentally killing a Prime's mate unless specific circumstances, as I am sure not all Primes will be as careful as I when doling out punishments to bots without giving bots a chance to change" Optimus stated.

"You can do that, beloved, as you are Prime. Just use my supervisor's case to remind you that there are times that no matter how many chances you do give a bot, the bot may never change and stronger punishment may be needed or required. It should also be done on a case by case basis, so that no blanket policy automatically incriminates all even for minor infractions" Mirage offered up, hoping to help his mate feel better as Mirage was getting very horny and was starting to "need" his mate in another way.

"Those are wise words indeed, my love. I will have to make sure that all of this goes into an updated version of that law that you pointed out, so that all may have a fair chance to get a second chance and those who really need to be punished get what happens when they continue to make poor choices and not use their new chances wisely" Optimus stated, feeling better that something good was coming out of this instead of something bad.

"Now, enough with that kind of talk, are you going to take care of me, baby?" Mirage asked, wanting to bring Orion Pax out to have adult fun.

Optimus at first looked at his mate. How could his mate be so forgiving? But then the word "baby" hit Optimus' audios and Optimus let out a moan. He knew that name, as that was the trigger Mirage used to bring out little Orion whenever Mirage was extremely hot and bothered. IT was then Optimus knew why Mirage was planning on forgetting the other for now – Mirage needed some attention, some adult attention. Optimus allowed his old persona to come forth. "I will help you out" Orion Pax said eagerly. Mirage purred loudly. This was exactly what he needed and soon both had overloaded and were once again deep in recharge just like their sparklings.


	87. Chapter 87

Meanwhile, as Optimus and Mirage slept, Ironhide was going to visit another bot – Tinker. Orion had visited the bot several times to see how the bot was doing, and Hide was not liking the fact that Orion never told Hide how the forms were looking, not realizing that Orion was trying to keep it a surprise. Hide, bound and determined to check on things, headed down as Orion was out with the little ones.

IT wasn't hard to find Tinker, but Hide was an easy bot to spot from far off. Tinker saw Hide coming, and knowing that Orion wanted the forms to remain a secret, Tinker hid them away, as they were quickly looking like forms ready for a spark. Tinker hid them just in time for him to appear to be working on something else When Hide arrived.

"Tinker?" old Ironhide asked loudly.

"Yes, Ironhide, sir?" Tinker replied, trying hard to look like he had been working on this new project for a while.

"Tinker…. I want to know about the Protoforms for the sparklings I carry. I want to know how they are coming along and I would like to see them. My mate Orion will not tell me anything about them" Hide stated, unknowingly placing Tinker in a very tight spot.

"They are coming along… I still have some work to do on them" Tinker tried to pass off, as he wanted to keep the secret like Orion had asked.

Hide knew very quickly he wasn't getting the straight answer he sought. "Well, can I see them?" Hide demanded to know, not even thinking about anything else.

Tinker lowered his helm. He didn't like this, and he felt intimidated by Hide. "I don't know about that, sir. Orion had asked me to keep them secret, as a surprise for you…." Tinker started saying, trying not to show how fearful he was.

Hide heard what Tinker said and was about to demand to see the forms again, when Hide heard the words "Orion" and "surprise for you." He felt awful. He hadn't realized his mate was trying to surprise him with how the little ones' forms were going to turn out. But now that Hide did know that, he realized what an awful position he had placed Tinker in. Hide looked to the young bot, only to see fear in the younger bot's optics. "Forgive me, Tinker. I didn't realize the position I put you in" Hide stated, and then left. Tinker was relieved.

Hide slowly walked back to his room. He had been so gun-ho about seeing the forms of the little ones he carried that it had blinded him as to why Orion may not have said anything about them. Hide had never considered the face that his mate Orion had wanted to surprise him with how the little ones left. Hide trudged along, unaware that Tinker had commed Orion and told Orion everything that had occurred. Needless to say, when Hide got home, Orion didn't exactly look pleased with the old weapon's specialist.

"Ironhide, I understand your curiosity, but why did you try to frighten Tinker into showing you the forms?" Orion asked gently, though the selected words let Hide know that Orion was upset with what his mate had done. Orion had arrived home not too long after Hide had left to try and go see the new forms being constructed for the little ones he carried on his spark.

Hide lowered his helm, knowing he had been in the wrong. This wasn't what he was expecting at all, but he was grateful, that even upset, Orion was gentle and warm. "I guess I was just too excited to see the forms. You get to see them all the time and then you don't tell me anything. I thought if I went there, I would get to see them too. I never thought that you were trying to surprise me. I thought you were trying to hide them from me" Hide answered his mate bluntly.

Orion felt bad hearing that. He hadn't wanted his mate to feel that way. Orion just hadn't wanted to spoil the surprise. "Forgive me, my love. I didn't realize that you felt that way. I just thought you would be happier to see them right before you sparked, as a surprise. I didn't want you to think I was hiding anything from you" Orion replied, feeling slight guilt for what he had done. Orion still felt that Hide shouldn't have intimidated Tinker, but Orion now understood where his mate was coming from.

"I'm sorry, too, my love" Hide stated, "I wasn't trying to scare Tinker. I did apologize to him."

"I know, my love, he told me" Orion stated softly and with warmth. "He told me you had try to come and see them, and that is why I knew that we had to talk once you got home."

"I hate this. I don't want to be sparked again after this" Hide stated.

"I understand love, and I promise you this, I will carry all our babies from here on out as long as that is the will of Primus" Orion stated, trying to reassure his mate.

Hide understood and appreciated what his mate said. "Thank you, my sweet" Hide replied with gentleness, as his systems were warming up. He could feel it.

Orion knew what that meant in an instant. Orion purred at that, knowing where this was headed now. Orion first ran to get some energon, as it would do neither him nor Hide any good if they were under fueled for the pleasurable task that lay ahead. Hide drank and so did Orion. Both quickly worked to get the little ones to bed so that Orion and Hide could have their own adult fun without worrying about the little ones. Needless to say, it didn't take long for the pair to enjoy each other and then drift off into recharge, wrapped snuggly in one another's arms.


	88. Chapter 88

Meanwhile, as the Autobots were fighting and were keeping things safe at base, the Cons were furious after having lost several battles, some severely. And after the last battle, Megatron was hurt enough to need repairs. "Fix me now, you imbecile" Megatron growled at Hook, the Con's head medic.

"Yes, my lord. I am trying, but I need you to remain still" Hook stated.

Megatron growled angrily once again but stood still. He hated this being in the med bay, as Megatron had plans to complete and things to destroy and this was an inconvenience in his optics. Patience was not a strong suit for Megatron, and he saw being patient as showing signs of weakness. "You fixed yet?" Megatron snidely asked his medic.

"Almost, my lord, I just have one more scan to complete" Hook stated, not realizing what this scan was going to reveal.

"Just get it over with" Megatron ordered, sick of waiting for the medic to finish.

Hook scanned, as he was trying to make sure he accurately replaced what was damaged. HE never expected to find something else. The scanner revealed something that not even Megatron knew up to this point. "Megatron, sir, I am getting a very strange reading" Hook reported.

"Just fix it!" Megatron yelled loudly at Hook. Megatron was getting madder and madder the longer he had to stay in the med bay.

"I can't fix it, because it has to do with your data code" Hook stated, not sure why the scanner was revealing this.

"Why the in the hell are you talking about?" Megatron asked still livid.

"Your code indicates that you are part of a twin sparking" Hook stated, not liking the sound of it but knowing if he lied there was worse punishment to come.

Megatron didn't care. "So what, I probably killed him or her when she or he was younger. Who cares?" Megatron darkly replied, his red optics appearing even redder, or so it seemed.

"Forgive me sir, but your code shows that your twin link is severed, but something indicates you twin is still alive" Hook replied.

"Quit your lying, you fool. Now am I finished?" Megatron demanded to know. HE didn't care about the other "garbage" Hook had brought up. All that mattered to Megatron was ruling the universe and destroying all those who opposed him – especially Optimus Prime. Hook let Megatron leave, afraid the bot would deactivate the medic for a short time again. Something about this bothered hook, and behind Megatron's bac, he would seek more answers.

Meanwhile, at the base of the Autobots, Optimus was checking in on his various troops. Their families, and the bots who chose not to fight but were with the Autobots for protection. Those who had sought out sanctuary with the Autobots were amazed to see the Prime be so involved and welcomed all. And it was not only Optimus, but also Mirage. Mirage, who really hated fighting but saw little choice in the matter, also helped the others as well. Almost all the bots knew that if they had a problem, they could go to Mirage or Optimus and the bots would do their best to address the issue.

Meanwhile, Ironhide was still adjusting to the fact that he was sparked, even though he had been so for some time now. HE still just couldn't believe it. He headed for the rec room, knowing most likely Ratchet would be there, as it was Ratchet's time off. Hide soon made his way to the area.

"Hip still working?" ratchet asked, seeing his old friend,

"Yeah, it works, but the extra weight of three sparks mates it fritz a bit more often" Hide replied.

"I could look at it for you, you old bucket of bolts" Ratchet stated, knowing he was goating his friend.

"Naw, I don't want an ancient tin can looking at it right now" Hide stated, knowing the game. Ratchet smiled.

"I wish we could fight like we used to" Ratchet stated.

"Soon enough, hatchet… first I gotta spark these little ones.

"And Jack would have my aft if I fought sparked as well" Ratchet stated, giving Hide a sour face for hide calling the medic "hatchet."

"Well, we can still use our words… unless the sparklings are draining your processor" Hide stated.

Ratchet feigned offense to that, and came back with his own retort, "well, at least all my joints work properly"

"Well, you have aid to fix you" Hide stated, making it sound like Aid was the better medic. "I only get you."

Ratchet threw a wrench at Hide for that one, as that one was a little too close. Hide laughed it off even as the wrench hit him in the aft. Neither noticed their mates were coming into the room. Ratchet and Ironhide were still having the "war of insults" with each other when their mates walked in.

"Well, at least they are not in a fist fight" Jack stated, much more nonchalant about all this.

"Hide knows if he got hurt while sparked, I would be very upset" Orion stated, not understanding all this. "Why do they do this?"

"Ratchet and Ironhide are old friends, they go back to when they were young. They always start the fight with words and then it would turn into a brawl. IT was how they kept each other sane. I am just glad that they are watching out for the sparklings that they carry, as they both can fight pretty dirty" Jack explained.

"I can't watch this" Orion stated and left. He didn't like this kind of stuff. He didn't think it was right, even if they were old friends. Jack sighed as he watched Orion leave. It was only as Orion was leaving with a sad look on his faceplates that Ratchet and Hide realized that they had an audience. Ratchet smiled when he saw Jack. However, Hide saw that Orion was leaving with a sad look. Hide felt awful that he had disappointed his mate.

"I gotta go" Hide said and he headed out after his mate. Hide hadn't realized until now how sensitive his mate could be about things. Hide hoped that he could make amends.


	89. Chapter 89

The time was getting closer for Ironhide to spark the three precious little ones growing on his own old spark. He felt their presence no matter where he went. And while it bothered him sometimes, he wouldn't change it for the world. Ironhide had made up to his mate after his mate saw the "playful" tussle between Ratchet and hide. Orion was a bit more understanding now, as Hide had explained things and Orion had learned more about their friendship.

Orion, knowing the time was getting closet, decided to finally allow Hide to see what the little ones would look like when sparked. Tinker had gone above and beyond as to what was expected as three little triple changing mechlings. Orion smiled as Hide admired the forms. Their wings appeared seeker like but obviously weren't. Hide hugged his mate and Tinker. He was happy to see the forms and couldn't wait until the new sparks brought the forms to life.

Meanwhile, Mirage's abdomen was growing ever larger, as the three developing sparklings inside seemed to have received Optimus' data for size. Mirage tried not to let it wear him down, but it was easier said than done. This day, Mirage was watching his little ones with his twin and his twins' little ones. Mirage looked like he hadn't gotten any recharge in several days.

"Hey, bro. You have to learn to slow down a bit" Illusion offered up, knowing that carrying a larger brood was more tiring. "And you have to learn to rest when you can."

"I… I don't have time to rest as much as I would like" Mirage quietly confessed. "I love the sparklings, but I can't rest with fifteen active sparklings being around all the time."

"You know you do have family who is willing to help out, don't you?" Illusion asked, trying to see how accepting Mirage was to help. "We are all willing to help out as much as we can."

"I… I don't want to be a burden to someone else…" Mirage stated, tired but still fiercely independent. HE hated asking others for assistance as he thought he was being bothersome and a nuisance to those he asked. He didn't realize that asking for help when one needed it was a brave thing to do.

"I know you don't want to be a burden, Mirage, but you have to stop thinking of just yourself and think of the little ones and Optimus" Illusion stated. He hoped by bringing up Optimus and the sparklings it would change Mirage's focus a bit.

"Optimus is busy fighting those damn cons, Jazz is at the controls directing the battles, Prowl is watching his own little ones, Wingspan and Hot shot are busy… with each other. You are the only help available right now" Mirage stated, not realizing that many bots Mirage had helped would be willing to help him out any time he needed it. They needed to just be asked.

Illusion didn't like hearing that and he made a silent comm to a few bots that Illusion knew that Mirage had helped, wondering if they would be willing to sparkling sit. One was at work, and so she couldn't help at this time, but the other several other did come and took the sparklings, each taking 2-3 with them. Mirage was stunned as he watched this. He didn't know what to think and hoped they did not think poorly of him or his ability as a mother.

He lowered his helm, feeling like he was being a failure. One mech who was coming to pick up Flasher and Keeper looked over to Mirage. "Mirage, sir. Everyone needs help now and then. Just because you ask for help with your little ones doesn't make you a failure as a mother" the mech said. Illusion smiled at hearing that, as he had tried to say the same thing. Mirage nodded slowly, he still felt bad but not as bad.

Meanwhile, deep in the base of the cons and finally finished with much of the repair work he was forced to do as a medic, hook went deep into the archives. He had to figure something out, even if Megatron didn't want to hear it. Something about this whole 'twin" thing bothered Hook and so he went in search of information. Very specific information that if Megatron knew he accessed, Hook was as good as dead. Hook found some of the information that he was looking for. He found that Megatron had been taken in by an evil gladiator named Hellion and that the despicable bot had raised Megatron to be as he was. Well, Hook thought, that explained a lot.

Also, Hook found that Megatron and Hellion together had plotted and arranged for the murder of Sentinel Prime. That wasn't really a shock either. The first real shock came when it was listed that Megatron had savagely murdered Hellion due to Megatron seeing Hellion fail to destroy the Matrix of leadership that Sentinel was supposed to have been wearing but wasn't at the time he was slain. Hook read it over and over. Megatron had started his cruelty young and was ruthless, and it had only gotten worse as he grew older and expanded his territory.

Hook figured he better do whatever to stay enough on Megatron's "good" side so that he wasn't destroyed like many previous medics had been. Hook tried to find more, like where Hellion had gotten the sparkling from, but before Hook could look for anything on that, he was called back to the med bay to fix the seekers who had just fought in a losing battle. Hook saved his search and then encoded it so that no one knew he was researching this. Hook headed back, knowing that the next time he got a chance, he would research further to see if he could find any more about Megatron's origin. Hook figured it was only a matter of time before the truth was revealed.


	90. Chapter 90

Primus had been watching all along, and knew Hook was getting to close to the truth, and so he had created a reason for the maniacal medic, if he could even be called that, to leave. Primus would continue to protect the bot he had chosen to be Prime. Primus smiled as Unicron burned with rage at everything go against Unicron. Primus wasn't worried in the least about Unicron as the evil bot was the weaker bot and would be destroyed for good at a time already prearranged by Primus.

Meanwhile, unaware of the closeness that the Cons had come to finding out who the Prime really was, Optimus was once again reviewing all the information that had been gathered during each battle. He was quickly learning the fighting strategy of each Con and how they liked to strike out against others. The only one who was slightly unpredictable was Megatron and that was due to him possessing the Armor of Unicron. Even so, it still seemed like Optimus was able to beat him each time, which enraged the evil bot. Optimus studied the information just a bit longer before heading home.

Once done, Optimus pushed the gathered data aside and headed for home. He was feeling in a mood and hoped his mate was as well. Optimus thought about his mate as he headed for their quarters. Mirage had given up so much ever since they had sparklings. Optimus felt bad for not begin there as much as he wanted to be, but he knew he had a duty to all the Autobots. Optimus hoped that Mirage had gotten the message that Optimus was returning to their quarters and the gentle request that the sparklings be elsewhere. Optimus didn't know if Mirage would follow through or not, as previous times that Optimus had requested the sparklings to be elsewhere, Mirage had not sent them as Mirage had wanted Optimus to know that he was loved by Mirage and the sparklings. Optimus could only hope.

At their quarters, Mirage got the message and the request loud and clear. This time Mirage did decide to send the sparklings elsewhere as Mirage could sense a deep need for intimacy in his mate that Mirage would not be able to fulfill if the sparklings were around. And once they were sent to various bots, Mirage started preparing for Optimus' return. Mirage cleaned the quarters a bit, got out energon, and then waited, knowing Optimus would be home soon.

Optimus arrived at the door, not knowing if his mate had fulfilled his small request. The quarters sounded quiet, but they often did so when the sparklings were asleep. Carefully, Optimus entered, hopeful but not overly so. What he saw and heard stunned him. Soft, romantic music was playing and Mirage was sitting alone at the table with energon. "My sweet?" Optimus asked, a bit stunned.

"Yes beloved?" Mirage answered lovingly.

"What is all this?" Optimus asked, trying to seek out what was going on.

"This is what you requested, beloved. The sparklings are gone and we have some time alone" Mirage stated, a bit worried that Optimus wasn't going to like this, now that Optimus seemed uncertain.

Optimus had to check and when he checked, the sparklings were gone. Mirage looked nervous as he waited for his mate to come to terms with what was really going on. Once Optimus realized what Mirage said was true, he smiled. "All this for me?" Optimus asked, trying to keep Orion Pax in just a bit longer.

Mirage was then relieved, "Yes, beloved all for us" Mirage responded, not wanting to let Orion out just yet.

"Thank you" Optimus stated and he went to drink energon with Mirage. Optimus needed this and Mirage knew it. Mirage was grateful to be sparked as it made it easier for him to help Orion Pax with his needs.

And as the energon was getting closer to being done, Mirage pulled an old trick he had used on numerous occasions when spoiling Optimus/Orion Pax. Mirage "spilled" some of the remaining energon on himself. "Oh dear me, I… I am such a klutz" Mirage stated, starting the old game once again.

Optimus recognized it instantly and instead of Optimus replying, little Orion Pax came out to play. "I will help with that, baby doll" Orion said eagerly and began to lap up the "spilled" energon as Optimus/Orion Pax carried Mirage back to the berth room. Mirage was already prepping for the fun that they would have and moaned sensually as he was carried. Optimus/Orion Pax was ready for whatever fun would be presented. Mirage encouraged his mate and soon both had overloaded and were snuggling close, wrapped in one another's arms.

"Thank you, my sweet love" Optimus stated once the session had ended.

"You are welcome, beloved" Mirage stated, rubbing his mate's chest plate softly.

"I am glad you sent out the little ones" Optimus admitted.

"Beloved, I decide to do that based on how you sound making your request. This time, it sounded like you needed just some alone time with me. Other times, you need reminders that you are loved. At those times, I don't send off the sparklings, as you need their love as well as mine" Mirage explained and finally Optimus understood. He had always wondered why sometimes Mirage sent off the little ones and why sometimes Mirage chose not to. Now he realized that his mate knew the Prime better than even the Prime was aware and Optimus was very grateful for that.

"Shall we go get our little ones?" Optimus asked.

"We can wait until later, as they are with family" Mirage stated. Optimus smiled and snuggled close, happy to have such a wonderful loving mate.

Meanwhile, Hook was getting extremely frustrated. Each time he had a little time to try and go research some more on Megatron, something seemed to come up. Thankfully, Hook was too evil and too stupid to realize that there was a reason that his efforts were being thwarted and it had nothing to do with Megatron or any other Deceptcon.


	91. Chapter 91

Deep in the Decepticon base, when not busy, Hook was continuing to try and find more on Megatron's history and Origin, but the harder he tried, the more his efforts seemed thwarted by some supernatural force. "Curse you, Primus" Hook stated as his efforts seemed in vain. Primus heard it and frustrated Hook's efforts even further by making sure Hook stayed very busy with other things, as Primus knew it was not yet time to reveal the truth to all. That would only happen at the final battle between Megatron and Optimus.

Meanwhile, at the Autobot base, Hide was in the med bay getting checked out, as his time to spark was getting extremely close. Ratchet and First Aid checked Ironhide out.

"Well, any day now, Hide" Ratchet stated, refraining from starting the game he and Ironhide enjoyed so much as it wasn't any fun without turning into a fist fight.

"Yeah, I'll bet" Hide gruffly stated as he was anxious to get the little ones out.

"Tinker should be bringing the finished protoforms to the med bay anytime now" Aid stated and no sooner said, Tinker showed up with the forms.

"Here they are" Tinker stated.

"They are triple changers!" Aid stated, a bit confused.

"Well… I thought that was what Orion and Hide wanted" Tinker stated, a bit hurt by the comment.

"You did wonderful, Tinker" Hide said gratefully. "don't let Aid rattle you. They are perfect just as they are."

Tinker smiled, relieved. He had enjoyed making them for Hide and his mate, as they were grateful and patient with him and he appreciated that. "Thank you" Tinker replied shyly.

"You have a real gift, Tinker. Never be afraid to use it for good" Hide told the young bot.

Tinker smiled at that, as the comment left him feeling like he could do anything. "Thanks. Now please, enjoy your little ones" Tinker responded before leaving the med bay.

Ratchet smiled. "I can understand, my friend."

"We gave Tinker very little requirements, and he surpassed our wildest dreams. We love what he did for us" Hide stated, starting to feel intense pain.

Ratchet recognized it right away, as Hide's chest plates were shifting about. Chest plates only did that for three reasons – a spark bond/merge, releasing the spark to the matrix or pit, and sparkling sparklings that were attached to a bot's spark. Given that Hide wasn't with his mate and he was relatively healthy, ratchet knew it had to be that the little ones were coming forth. "Brace yourself, Hide. They are coming."

"Comm…. Comm my mate" Hide stated, words coming out between pained expressions and utterances. This was more pain than he had ever been in before.

Aid prepped the forms and commed Orion while Ratchet prepared to "catch" the sparks once they separated. He had done this technique a few times, but it had been years. Hide's chest plates slowly began opening.

Meanwhile, having received the comm and sent the other little ones elsewhere, Orion made his way to the med bay. He could feel his mate's pain and knew what was happening. Orion made his way just in time, as the first sparkling was starting to separate from it's creator's spark.

Ratchet had selected one of the protoforms and opened the chest plates and spark chamber. Ratchet was ready to "catch" the spark with the form. The first spark separated and floated quickly over to the form that Ratchet held. Once the spark was inside the spark chamber, Ratchet closed the chamber and the chest plates and waited. Slowly, the sparkling came around. Though, when it did, it let out a loud screech.

"Well, I know the perfect name for that one – Siren" Orion stated, making his presence known.

Hide gave a pained smile. He was happy to see his mate, but hide was in agony. Ratchet gave the first sparkling to Aid to check over and prepared to "catch" the next detaching spark. Little Siren continued to make his displeasure about being out of the warm area known as the next spark detached.

"Well, he certainly has earned his name" Aid stated, to which Orion softly chuckled.

"Quiet, I need to catch the next one" Ratchet stated. Both aid and Orion quieted down and even Siren did – a little. The next spark soon emerged and went into the form Ratchet had selected for it. It came quickly and quietly to life, which was a relief to Ratchet. "Well, two down, one to go."

Ratchet quickly handed off the little one to aid. "I think we will name you Whisper, as you are the opposite of your brother" Orion stated. The sparkling softly cooed. Orion smiled.

Ratchet prepared the last form. This one was being tricky as it didn't want to let go of Hide's spark. Ratchet was afraid he would have to do something really dangerous – forcibly remove the young spark from Hide's spark. The reason that it was so dangerous was that it could kill both mother and sparkling. Hide was worried. Orion, hoping it would help, tried talking to the young spark softly, encouraging it to come forth. Thanks to Orion's efforts, the spark finally left his creator's spark and went into his own form, much to the relief of everyone. Ratchet handed the last sparkling off and then checked Hide over. Thankfully, Hide was none the worse for wear, though he was exhausted.

Orion looked at the last one. "I think we will call you Shadowwalker" Orion stated. The young bot cooed.

"Seems he likes it" Aid stated.

"And that mother and sparklings are all safe and healthy" Ratchet added.

"Wow…. That was…" Hide managed. He was too tired so say much more.

"Meet our newest little ones, hon – Siren, Whisper, and Shadowwalker" Orion stated, joy obvious in his voice. Hide managed a smile before he fell into recharge.

"Give him time, he will come around" ratchet stated, reassuring Orion.

"Oh, I know he will, and I know our little ones will love their new siblings" Orion stated, staying longer to be with his mate and the newest little ones. Ratchet left them be, knowing they just needed some time and space for now.


	92. Chapter 92

Soon the news of the new arrivals spread throughout the base of the Autobots. All were welcoming and eager to accept new life into the world, even if it was in the midst of a civil war that continued to rage on. One of the first visitors to see the new little ones was Optimus. He stopped by for two reasons – first off, he was Prime and felt it was his duty, and secondly, these new little ones were his siblings and he wanted to be a good older brother to them.

Orion was and wasn't surprised by how fast Optimus came by to visit him and his mate as well as their new little ones. And when Optimus came to visit, bee ran to the bot, laughing and shrieking all the way. "Oppy!" Bee shouted happily as he was scooped up by Optimus, making Optimus smile.

"Yes Bee" Optimus replied gently with a broad smile. Optimus loved how much bee seemed to just love to hang around the large bot. Bee didn't let his size stop him from anything.

"I have new brothers" Bee stated, eager to show off all his siblings. Optimus let him, as Optimus knew this meant a lot to bee. Orion and Hide smiled as well, as Optimus was so good to all of his much younger siblings. It was a blessing and refreshing. "….And these are the newest three" Bee stated, showing off the little triplet triple changers.

"Do you know their names?" Optimus asked.

OH bee knew their names, but always had trouble pronouncing one of them. "That is Siren, that is whisper, and that is sha…walk…" Bee stated, having trouble saying the last one's name.

"Shadowwalker is his name, Optimus" Hide stated, trying to help bee out.

Bee glared at his father. "I said that" Bee stated, in a bit of a huff.

"Bee, calm down, your father was just trying to help you" Orion said gently, causing Bee to stop being irritated and cool off.

"Bee, long names like that can be hard to say, you could shorten his name to walker, just like you shortened my name to Oppy" Optimus explained, making bee feel even better. Bee snuggled into Optimus, happy to have such a wonderful brother. Orion was relieved and Hide smiled. Yes, Optimus was truly a different bot and a wonderful Prime.

Meanwhile, fully aware that Optimus had gone to visit his family to see the new little ones, Mirage waited back in the quarters. He knew Optimus wouldn't spend a long time visiting and would soon return home. Mirage needed but wait.

Meanwhile, deep inside the con base, Megatron was planning something major – last strike at the Autobots. He was thoroughly and carefully planning it as he was beginning to suspect where the real Autobot base was. And if it was indeed where he believed it to be, all he needed to do was strike just the right area, drawing out all the bots and leading them to their demise. He carefully plotted, as this, in his mind, was going to be the battle to end all battles and end this infernal war as well as end the life of that disgusting Prime that continued to best him at every turn.

"My lord, we have a breech in security" reported soundwave.

"What kind of breech, those foul Autobots?" Megatron asked, fuming and figuring it was them.

"No sir, it is an internal breech. Someone on board is trying to access files blocked off to all bots but you" Soundwave announced.

Megatron, who was in a foul mood before, grew even angrier. "I want this bot found and executed immediately" Megatron yelled. "I don't care who the bot is, I want him TERMINATED!"

"It shall be done, my lord, as soon as the guilty bot is discovered" Soundwave stated, unaware that his new target now was the current medic. Soundwave, who was just as cold, calculating and unfeeling as Megatron accepted the mission and began searching for the bot who dared try this. Hook had no idea his aft was had, but would soon learn the hard way that you don't go behind Megatron's back.

Meanwhile, back at the Autobot base, the Autobots were preparing. They weren't sure for what, but they began to fortify their base, stock up on things and form shelters as if Primus was telling them that this needed to be done. They knew if Primus was drawing them to do this, they needed to do it.

Elsewhere in the base, Optimus was finally heading for home, as he knew his mate didn't like waiting for long, especially when the sparklings had been sent elsewhere to be watched over. Optimus was grateful to have such a wonderful mate and tonight, Optimus was bound and determined to show that his Optimus fun side was just as fun as his Orion Pax fun side. Optimus soon arrived home.

"How were the newest editions?" Mirage asked, trying to hide his need.

"They are wonderful, but right now, I think someone else needs to be the focus" Optimus stated, twinkle in his optic.

Mirage purred at hearing that, though he wondered what exactly Optimus had in mind. "really?" Mirage managed to ask.

"Yes" Optimus stated and he went to grab energon. Mirage just waited. Optimus soon returned with two large things of energon and one small one. Optimus made sure they drank their large containers first, before using the smaller one to "spill" om himself. Optimus had played this game many times, but he had never been the one to "spill" the energon, it had always been Mirage. Now Optimus was turning the tables, and allowing Mirage the fun to be the one to "clean up the spill." Mirage instantly recognized the game and was on Optimus before the Prime even realized it. Optimus smiled and enjoyed this. They had some quality alone time together and Optimus was glad he could do it in his regular form instead of having to use his Orion Pax persona.


	93. Chapter 93

Deep in the bowls of the Decepticon base, Megatron continued his despicable planning of the ultimate and final battle to destroy Optimus once and for all while Soundwave was carefully and meticulously searching for the bot who had dared to try and access prohibited information. During this time, Hook was lucky to be busy, as otherwise he would have been searching and Soundwave would have caught him in a nanosecond. Soundwave continued to watch, as he knew it was only a matter of time before the rogue bot who had tried to do this would attempt it again, and this time, Soundwave would catch him or her.

Meanwhile, in the Autobot base, things seemed to be happening to prepare for something in the future, though no one, not even Optimus, was sure what this feeling exactly was all followed the calling to prepare and bulk up supplies and defenses. Buster had been promoted to an area where supplies were gathered and stored. He had earned the promotion and those who worked under his supervisory position were pleased that he had replaced the cranky old supervisor. Illusion was also happy that his mate was doing so well.

And while Buster and Optimus were hard at work, Mirage and Illusion finally had a chance to just hang out as twins. They had sent their sparklings elsewhere, as both felt they just needed time with each other.

"Wow, I can't believe you know how to send off so many sparklings so quickly" Illusion stated a bit surprised by how fast Mirage had sent off all the little ones.

"Comes with practice" Mirage replied, happy to just be able to be himself.

"I suppose. Are you expecting again, bro?" Illusion asked.

"Yeah… triplets. I am not sure why Optimus and I are being blessed with so many, but I wish Primus would bless other bots instead sometimes" Mirage replied, rubbing his barely visible pudge in his abdominal plating.

"I guess Primus knows you are a good parent" Illusion stated, hoping he would have more at some point.

"If you are anything like me, I am sure that Primus will bless you with many more sparklings" Mirage stated.

"Maybe. Hey, I feel a bit cooped up, you want to go out for a short drive?" Illusion asked.

"DO you think that would be wise, with me, the Prime's mate being sparked?" Mirage asked.

"Yeah, because we won't go far. I can see you have cabin fever, come with me" Illusion encouraged.

Mirage wasn't sure about this, but he trusted his twin. They would have to be careful, but Mirage did really need to get out and about, even if only for a few minutes. They carefully headed out, unaware a young bot had observed them heading out. Worried, the young bot went to Optimus.

"Prime, sir?" the young bot carefully asked as he approached.

"How can I help you?" Optimus asked, curious as to why the young bot would come to him.

"I saw two bots who look very much alike head towards the top side. They looked like they were heading out of the base. No one told me anyone was leaving, sir" the young mech replied. Optimsu was worried.

"Can you describe these two to me?" Optimus asked, having a bad feeling about this.

"Yes, sir" the young bot answered, describing Illusion to a tee, but struggling a bit with Mirage, as Mirage had been on the other side of Illusion as they headed out.

"I see, thank you" Optimus stated.

"Sir, I though no one is going on" the young mech replied.

"I will go personally check on those two, please leave them to me" Optimus stated, reassuringly.

"Yes sir" the young mech stated and he hurried off.

Optimus sighed, but he didn't go after them right away. He knew Mirage and Illusion hadn't been able to get out of the base for a long time and both must have felt like they needed to go out. He gave them a short amount of time before he headed out to check on them.

Just outside of the base, the pair were just enjoying being out of the base and running through the deserted city. They drove for a bit and were just coming back to the base when Optimus showed up to check on them.

"Spying on me?" Mirage asked, trying to hide that he was worried that Optimus would be mad at him.

"No, Mirage, I was coming out to check on you two. It was mentioned to me that you two had left the base for a bit and I wanted to make sure that you were okay" Optimus stated, telling the truth. Mirage and Illusion could sense it.

"I think we have had enough time out and about, I am ready to head for home" Illusion stated.

"Same here" Mirage stated, really tired since he was sparked.

"Please, both of you get in my trailer and I will take you home" Optimus stated, sensing that there might be danger around.

The twins did as asked and Optimus took the two home, and literally entered the base five short minutes before a Con spy had showed up to see what was going on in the citadel. That was too close.

Optimus went to drop off Illusion first, as Buster had just picked up the little ones and was at home, wondering where Illusion had gone to. Buster and Illusion were happy to be reunited.

Optimus and Mirage said good bye and went to grab their little ones and head for home. Once there, they got all the little ones in bed. Mirage was still slightly worried that Optimus would be angry. "Love, I am not mad" Optimus stated, speaking the truth.

"You aren't?" Mirage replied, shocked.

"No, I am not. I know why you and Illusion decided to go out of the base today. I am just glad and relived that you two decided to go together" Optimus answered, embracing his mate. Mirage just snuggled in, happy to be home.


	94. Chapter 94

Soundwave was growing closer and closer to the bot he suspected was tampering with files that were deemed inaccessible for the regular Con, including hook. Hook now finally found himself some time and so he headed for the archives once again, hoping to find more valuable information that he could either give to Megatron or delete to protect Megatron, or so Hook assumed, not realizing that some information could never be deleted as it had been entered by previous Primes and was protected from tampering as only another Prime could alter it.

Once again, Hook began his search, unaware that this unapproved access was being sent right to Soundwave. Soundwave quickly received the information that information had been breached. Soundwave was under one directive – find the bot responsible and destroy said bot. Soundwave found where the unapproved access was being committed and headed there with one mission – destroy the mole.

Hook continued his search, unaware he had just sealed his fate in accessing this information. Hook tried to research further, but as he did so, Soundwave snuck up behind him. Soundwave didn't see the medic, he saw a bot that didn't have approved access and so, before hook even knew what hit him – hook was slaughtered by order of Megatron. Soundwave quickly disposed of the scrap metal and then made his report.

"Mole has been found and eliminated" Soundwave reported coldly to Megatron.

"Who was the foul bot who dared access such things?" Megatron asked, demanding to know.

"Your assigned medic, Hook" Soundwave replied.

Megatron growled at that. He had lost yet another medic. Blast it all. "Soundwave, find us another medic. I don't care how, just find one, as I might need one the day I finally destroy Optimus."

"It will be done, sir" Soundwave stated and began reviewing files. He knew exactly what Megatron was looking for, now all he had to do was find it.

Meanwhile, in the Autobot, preparations continued. Primus was soon making sure all bots that were currently sparked were sparking soon, as he needed all bots to be ready. Soon, the only one left sparked was Mirage as Primus knew it was too early to have that bot spark the little ones. Optimus noticed and he had a feeling what this meant.

"Prowl, have you noticed that no bot seems to be getting sparked right now and most who were sparked are sparking?" Optimus asked.

"Yes, Prime, I have noticed that" Prowl replied. "High probability that we are going to be having a large battle soon – the battle to end all battles and Primus wants to make sure that we are as strong as possible."

"That makes sense" Optimus stated. "I think that this will be the deciding battle of this infernal civil war."

"High probability of that sir, and chances are one of the leaders won't survive the battle" Prowl stated, knowing the statistics but not sure which leader it would be.

"Then we must continue to prepare so that we may be victorious" Optimus stated.

"Yes, Prime" Prowl stated and he continued instructing bots on being prepared.

Elsewhere, Orion was feeling strange. He wasn't sparked or sick, he just felt off. He laid down to rest as he felt tired. Thankfully, neither Hide nor the sparklings were home at the time. Orion felt himself drift off into recharge. Primus was inducing this as he wished to speak to Orion in the dream.

"Orion, my son" came a warm, deep voice.

"who…. Who are you?" Orion asked nervously. He knew and trusted Primus, but Primus had never tried contacting Orion so personally like this.

"It is I, Primus, my son" Primus responded warmly.

"Primus?" Orion asked.

"Yes, and I have a message for you" Primus stated, "during the final battle, one of your sons will fall."

"One of them?" Orion asked.

"Yes, one of your eldest twins" Primus stated, "for they will square off in a final battle soon."

Orion sighed. He didn't like remembering that Megatron was Optimus' twin. "DO I have to reveal the truth to Optimus now?" Orion asked, fearing what the repercussions could be.

"Not now, for it is not the time. But eventually, you will reveal the truth to Optimus" Primus stated.

Orion had feared that. He hadn't wanted Optimus to know to protect Optimus. "I will?" Orion asked.

"Trust me, Orion, when the time comes to do so, you will do it" Primus stated. Orion nodded it was all he could do. Primus spoke a little more in the dream and then seemed to vanish. And just after Primus "vanished," Orion woke in a sweat. He knew that had been Primus, but Orion was still worried about what Primus had said about the truth coming out.

Hide soon arrived home with the sparklings and observed that Orion looked a little different than usual. Hide quickly got the sparklings down for naps and then approached his mate with energon.

"Energon for your thoughts?" Hide asked and offered energon.

"Thank you" Orion stated, taking the energon and slowly drinking it.

Hide watched for a bit before asking, "is something bothering you, love?"

Orion wanted to say "no" but couldn't. "I had a strange dream…"

"A dream?" Hide asked.

"Yes, it was Primus telling me that sometime soon there is going to be the final battle between Optimus and Megatron and I am going to lose one of my sons" Orion stated.

"Hopefully its Megatron" Hide replied, though he could see there was more hurt in his mate's optics/

"I understand your statement, but do remember, they are both my sons. Also, Primus told me that I am to reveal the truth to Optimus" Orion stated.

Hide was shocked. "You mean Primus wants you to tell Optimus that his twin is Megatron?"

"Yes…. But not just yet" Orion replied.

"I don't like the sound of that" Hide stated.

"I don't either, but truth be told – Optimus was going to have to learn the truth at some point. And sooner or later he will."

Hide nodded as it was all he could do. Orion snuggled into his mate. Both were extremely worried about Optimus and what was going to happen.


	95. Chapter 95

Megatron continued his planning. He was furious that Soundwave had taken out the medic, but if Hook had been the mole, Soundwave had completed the task he had been assigned. Now Megatron demanded that Soundwave find another medic, just in the off chance Megatron might get hurt during the upcoming battle. Soundwave was still searching, as he had to find just the right bot. What Soundwave didn't tell Megatron just yet that first, Soundwave would look for a suitable bot and then Soundwave would thoroughly reprogram said bot to make sure that something like Hook had done would not be repeated. Soundwave continued to search, as several potential bots he found so far had failed to accept the programming he had tried to force on them and he ended up slaughtering them.

Meanwhile, Megatron was plotting. He needed to make sure he had every detail down pat. In his mind, there would be no failure this time. This time the Prime would surely die and Megatron would be able to destroy the Matrix of leadership. Megatron had learned that Optimus did have certain weaknesses, but they didn't seem to destroy the Prime, in fact, they seemed to make the Prime stronger. This enraged Megatron and he hoped that during this last battle, he would be the ultimate victor and gain the ultimate spoils – to be ruler of Cybertron, for once he was there, it wouldn't take him much more to conquer the universe or so he thought. Megatron's only aggravation was that for his plan to work, he would need the help of those infernal older seekers. He didn't trust them, not one bit, but if he didn't use them, his plan would fail. He would do his best to trick the older seekers and then slaughter them once he was ruler.

Meanwhile, in the con base, unaware of Megatron's foul plans, the ancient seeker brothers were working hard with the seekers that they had been given to train. The pair saw the others as a way to restart Vos and Cybertron in the way of the seekers, with both ancient brothers as the leaders of Cybertron. The pair knew that Megatron would likely attack Optimus one final time, and that in order for Megatron or the seekers to win, Optimus had to be destroyed as well as this thing called the "Matrix of Leadership", whatever that was. The ancient seeker brothers saw this as their opportunity. They would "help" Megatron, and then destroy him once Optimus was taken care of. The seekers knew Megatron would need their help, but that didn't mean that they agreed to serve him. Megatron had no idea of the treachery of the seekers, though he was right not to trust them.

Meanwhile, in the Autobot base, the Autobots were beefing up security as well as hiding provisions and creating safe places for sparklings to stay once the ultimate battle broke out. Those who had chosen not to fight would be left at the base with a few fighters to guard the sparklings and the base. All the Autobots understood just what this meant. If the Autobots lost, Megatron would take over the world and would destroy all those who refused to join him. If the Autobots won, freedom would reign. Believing that they were on the side of Primus, the Autobots believed that when the ultimate showdown came, they would be victorious.

In his office, surrounded by his top officers, Optimus discussed his concerns with them. "We must make sure that those let with the sparklings and the non-fighting Autobots are highly trained bots" Optimus stated.

"We have many trained bots who would be willing to stay here or go out to fight, they would just need the orders" Jazz stated, having trained many of them.

"And there are many others who, though they would not go into the battle, they would fiercely defend all the sparklings that would be left here for safety" Prowl added.

"Excellent" Optimus stated, glad to hear the news. "We may need them to do so."

"Prime, I also have several bots training to be medics in preparation for what may come" Ratchet reported.

"That is good news and if you are training them, I have no doubt that they will be good and thorough medics" Optimus replied.

"I have also noticed that the only bot left sparked is Mirage" Ratchet added to his report.

"Is that so?" Optimus asked, a bit curious on that.

"It is indeed. I have a feeling that Primus wants all of us to be ready and at full strength when the battle gets here. Mirage, I am guessing, wasn't far along enough yet to spark his developing sparklings" Ratchet reported as well.

"I hope he sparks soon, as we could really use him in battle" Prowl stated, earning a glare from Jazz and Optimus. "What, he and his twin, with their invisibility powers would give us and edge."

"I don't like the way you put that, Prowl, but you are right" Optimus replied, though the thought of his mate fighting was not something Optimus liked.

"We must use all weapons we have, as our enemy will not hold anything back against us" another officer said, speaking the truth.

"True, but we must use them wisely. I think it best that we leave Mirage and Illusion here as some to guard the sparklings, as if the cons got through, they would never see the pair coming" Jazz stated.

Optimus liked hearing that better, but it still bothered him. "We will decide when the time comes. Right now, we must prepare, for I fear the last battle draws ever nearer."

"I think you are right, sir, and I fear one of the leaders will stand and one will fall" Prowl stated.

"Oh boy" Jazz replied, "what a line."

Optimus laughed a bit. He would borrow that line if needed, but for now, he let it be. He just hoped that when the time came, he would be the one standing.


	96. Chapter 96

Primus made the time pass for a bit, as it was in his plan that Mirage would spark his precious little ones before the final battle between Optimus and Megatron would happen. Primus knew that Mirage as well as many others would be needed for this ultimate battle and so Primus had not blessed any more bots with sparklings to carry and would not until after the final battle, as he would need all is children at full strength.

Mirage was approaching the point where if the little ones were sparked, they would survive. He was on bedrest, though he hated it as he was used to being so active. Optimus, having grown wiser, had bots that Mirage liked stop by and help the bot out with things such as the sparklings and straightening out the quarters. Today, Mirage was being assisted by a bot Mirage had befriended a while ago, a bot named Snowflake.

"Thank you for your assistance, Snowflake. I really appreciate it" Mirage stated, truly grateful for all the help.

"It's nothing, Mirage. You always helped me out when I needed it. I am just returning the favor" Snowflake replied.

Mirage smiled. He was trying to rest when he felt a twinge of pain. He tried to ignore it at first. "Everything ok, Mirage?" Snowflake asked, seeing that Mirage had winced.

"It's nothing…." Mirage stated as the twinge of pain subsided, especially after he passed exhaust fumes. "Must have just been fumes built up. Forgive me."

"It's ok, we are all bots and we all do it" Snowflake stated, returning to helping out.

For a while longer Mirage was able to rest, but it was a restless rest, one that seemed to know something was coming. Snowflake watched Mirage carefully, as Snowflake had learned like others who knew Mirage well that Mirage was good at trying to hide things. Mirage seemed to grimace and wince in his sleep and Snowflake grew worried.

Snowflake decided to comm Jazz, as snowflake had met Jazz and knew Mirage and Jazz were close. "Snowflake to Jazz, come in Jazz"

"I'm here, Snow… how can I help you?" Jazz asked.

"Mirage is in bed, but he seems restless and he grimaces and winces in his sleep. What should I do?" Snow asked.

"You comm Ratchet and I will comm Optimus" Jazz stated.

"But why?" snow asked.

"Mirage is going to spark soon. Ratchet is the medic who will handle it and Optimus is Mirage's mate."

Snow was a bit stunned. He hadn't realized that Mirage was the mate of the Prime. Mirage had never said so and had never seen Optimus in the room at the same time as Mirage. "Ok, will do."

And while Snow commed the med bay to get Ratchet to come, Jazz commed Optimus. "Prime, come in Prime."

"Prime here, go head Jazz" Optimus stated.

"Snow just commed me. Mirage is restless, grimacing and wincing. I had Snow comm Ratchet while I commed you" Jazz relayed.

"I will head to my quarters. Please take over as acting Prime, Jazz, until Mirage is finished sparking" Optimus stated.

"on my way. Jazz out" Jazz stated, heading for the office of the Prime so that Jazz could review what Optimus was preparing while Optimus stepped out.

Optimus headed to his quarters, meeting Ratchet on the way. "Jazz just commed me" Optimus explained. "But who is with Mirage?"

"Snowflake. He recently became an adult and was brought here from a destroyed youth center. Mirage befriended the bot. I know Snow knows that Mirage is bonded but I don't know if Mirage had yet told Snow that Mirage is the mate of the Prime."

Optimus nodded and they soon reached the quarters. It sounded a little noisy but not too bad. Both soon entered. Keeper, Flasher, Bug, and Krypto were helping Snow with the little ones. When Snow saw the Prime and Ratchet, snow stood up. "Please sir, Mirage is in there" Snow stated, pointing to the room. Ratchet hurried down the hallway, but Optimus stayed a moment. Optimus watched as Snow carefully cared for each sparkling. Optimus was impressed.

"You work well with young ones, Snow" Optimus stated, knowing his mate was not quite ready to spark.

"Thank… thank you, sir" Snow stated, feeling a bit intimidated.

"Please, lift your helm. I won't hurt you" Optimus stated.

Snow looked up to see that Optimus didn't look mad or upset, but that Optimus looked pleased and seemed to have a smile behind his facemask. Snow was relieved. "I need your help, Snow. Please help look after our other ones while I go be with my mate who is sparking"

"Yes sir" Snow replied, happy to not be yelled at and to be needed.

Optimus thanked the bot and then headed for his mate. Ratchet was all prepped and Mirage was just waking up and showing signs that the sparklings were soon to come. "Ratchet? Optimus? How are you already here?" Mirage stated, still trying to hide his pain.

"Snow commed Jazz and then me" Ratchet stated.

"And Jazz commed me after speaking to Snow" Optimus stated.

Mirage could only manage a nod, as the first little one was on its way out of Mirage's body. In fact, Ratchet barely had time to "catch" the little one, as he came out so fast, even though he was good sized. Optimus was amazed. Mirage just smiled, before popping out the next two, each mechs and each the same size as their oldest brother. Optimus just smiled. "You did it, love" Optimus stated, quietly amazed at his mate's strength during the sparking.

Mirage smiled tiredly before saying, "you know, they do need names."

Optimus nodded as Ratchet checked mom and sparklings out. The eldest of the three was a beautiful green with black trim. "I think he looks like a Shamrock" Optimus stated. Mirage nodded as the little one cooed.

The next little mechling was solid red with minimal white trim. "He looks like a Fireball" Optimus stated. The rambunctious sparkling cooed and Mirage tiredly laughed.

The youngest mechling was the one that concerned Ratchet the most, as the young one was all silver and white with pink optics. Ratchet knew what pink optics meant the little one would be blind. Ratchet informed Mirage and Optimus before they picked out a name for this last one. "I think he is a Silverflair" Mirage stated, and all seemed to agree.

"Welcome to the world Shamrock, Fireball, and Silverflair" Optimus stated holding them close. These three gave him three more reasons to fight that much harder when Optimus and Megatron met for the last battle.


	97. Chapter 97

Deep in the con base, Megatron continued to plot, when he heard a dark and sinister voice call out to him.

"Megatron" came the evil whisper.

"Soundwave, stop it. Can't you see I am busy!" Megatron replied, but the strange voice grew louder.

"MEGATRON" came the eerie sadistic call from a place that appeared to be brimming with Fire and smoke. Megatron growled, but felt a presence. A sinister and evil presence. And enraged, Megatron headed for it, wondering what buffoon this time had tried to set the base on fire.

"WHO IS THERE?" Megatron demanded to know, his anger quiet evident, as his optics were blood red.

"SILENCE!" came a command from deep within the fiery smaky area.

"I WILL NOT BE SILENCED!" Megatron yelled. And as soon as he uttered, he was struck by an unseen object.

"You are foolish" the evil voice uttered. "You don't even recognize when you are in the presence of UNICRON!" Megatron said nothing, as his ability to speak had been temporarily shorted, but he was angry. Oh was he fuming, but there was little he could do. "I come to make a proposal. Let me have your spark… and I will tell you how you can do away with that foul Prime and the Matrix of leadership."

Megatron listened. He dated deals these kind of deals, as Megatron wasn't in control. Megatron thought about it before nodding. He agreed, thinking he could backstab this bot later. Unicron knew it too, as he knew Megatron was like that. "Well…. It all starts with your history."

Reluctantly, Unicron allowed the foul Megatron to speak again. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, you have heard that every bot who is sparked a twin is sparked with a special link to that twin."

"Now who is speaking foolish" Megatron replied, so sure that this had nothing to do with him.

"Megatron…. You indeed are a twin…." Unircron revealed.

"If I ever was a twin, my twin is dead, hence the link you think I have won't work."

"Oh, your twin is very much alive…" Unicron revealed.

Meanwhile, Optimus was in his office and he felt called. It was the Matrix calling him. Seeing that everything was safe, Optimus settled himself into the berth behind his office and carefully travelled into the Matrix, wondering which Prime was calling him.

It wasn't Jade or any of the others that he had met before. The bot looked ancient but familiar. "Hi, Optimus Prime. I see you once again returned."

"Who are you?" Optimus wondered, not knowing that Primus had crossed a gap in time to bring this ancient Prime back.

"I am Keeper Prime, my daughter is Jade Prime, the first and last female Prime" Keeper replied.

Optimus was stunned. "You look much like the son my mate and I have now."

"We are similar in many ways" Keeper Prime stated.

"Why do you call me?" Optimus asked.

"Something is being revealed by Unicron to Megatron, and you need to know the truth to guard yourself" Keeper stated in all seriousness.

"What am I to guard from?"

"You know how a set of twins, when sparked, have a twinlink?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with me?"

"Optimus, when you were sparked to your mother, you were the second of the sparklings to be born. The first had already been taken by another bot, the one who had forcibly sparked your mother" Keeper stated.

"I am a twin?" Optimus asked puzzled.

"Yes, and your twin is still very much online" Keeper stated.

"Please, Keeper Prime, tell me the truth: Optimus stated, wanting and needing to know.

Meanwhile, Orion felt something off. He felt the evil presence of Unicron and the powerful and wonderful presence of Primus. Hide was curious when he looked at his mate.

"Something wrong?" Hide asked.

"Yes and No" Orion replied. "It looks like I won't be telling my son the truth. Primus will be doing it for me, but Unicron is revealing the truth to Megatron.

Hide sighed. He knew what that meant. That this next battle truly would be the end of it all, no matter what happened.

In the con base, Unicron smiled after toying with Megatron for a bit. Megatron looked pissed. Unicron was having fun before telling his side.

But in the office of the Prime, the ancient Keeper Prime gave Optimus the truth. "Primus has hidden your twin link from you and your twin because your twin…. Is Megatron."

Optimus was stunned and wasn't sure what to say. "Is that the truth?" Optimus asked.

"Yes, it is indeed the truth. Primus has protected you this far and he will continue to Protect you, but you must guard your spark, your comms, and your links because once Megatron realizes this truth, he will try and attack you from inside your own body. Only once that fails will he draw you and the other Autobots out to battle." Optimus nodded, as it was all he could do, and he was soon exiting out of the Matrix. He headed straight for his mother's place. He wanted the truth.

Meanwhile, Megatron was seething and was sick of Unicron's games, though Unicron was having fun. "Just tell me what I need to know" Megatron demanded.

"Fine… fine. Your twin… is Optimus Prime…. Or better known as … Orion Pax!" Unicron revealed to the con leader. The information drew and evil grin out of Megatron. He could use this to his advantage, so long as Optimus had no clue what was going on. "take care of him, and remember, your pathetic excuse for a spark belongs to me…" Unicron slowly faded away taking the fire and smoke with him. Megatron began to plot once again, and was no trying to open the link – hoping that through it, he could torment his opponent. Little did Megatron know, Primus had already warned the Prime and Optimus was thoroughly prepared for whatever assaults would come through the link.


	98. Chapter 98

Optimus went to his mother. He wanted to know for sure that he had been told the truth. He knocked at the door and hide let the Prime in. "I need to speak with Orion" Optimus said, before the door was closed behind him.

"Orion, your son wishes to speak with you" Hide stated, and Orion came out.

Orion knew what this was all about. "What do you wish to know, my son?"

"Is it true? Is Megatron really my twin?" Optimus asked, wanting to know.

"Yes, son. He is. He was sparked many minutes before you. I thought I'd lose you that night. Ratchet saved you and me long after Megatron was taken by the evil gladiator Hellion" Orion revealed.

Optimus sighed. He knew what this meant, but he also knew that the Autobots relied on him. "Twin or not, Brother or nor, I will not let him destroy what is good and right" Optimus stated, starting to feel a bit off.

Orion recognized it. "Megatron must know. You must fight what he sends over your twin link and you must not send anything over it yourself, especially about Mirage or your sparklings" Orion stated.

Optimus was glad for the advice, as he felt evil thoughts come across the bond. Thoughts about hurting others he loved and destroying things. Optimus had really felt such thoughts, and these bothered him. Orion had Hide help Orion "chain" the Prime to a berth, as Orion knew that Megatron would try something drastic. It was a good thing Orion had thoroughly chained the Prime, as Megatron was sending through even worse thoughts and actions to try and poison the try and ruin the Prime.

Orion could only watch as the demonic forces seemed to torture Optimus. Optimus was fighting, but it was hard. The only thing that kept him from completely changing over was the Matrix of leadership and Optimus' faith in Primus being stronger. Orion and Hide watched in horror as the attacks kept coming. Optimus darn near broke loose from the chains, but never quite did.

Finally, Optimus was left alone. Megatron had either gotten distracted or realized that this wasn't working as he had planned. Optimus and his parents had no idea that Megatron was pissed that this wasn't working the way Megatron had planned it to work. But Megatron was no stupid bot. He would bide his time. And make several more tries of this. The only thing that bothered Megatron was when he opened the link, goodness and warmth came through. Megatron hated goodness and warmth and anything associated with it. And so, this first try, that was what had really stopped Megatron from going further.

Orion carefully helped his son up and out of the berth. "I fear now that Megatron knows, he will try to destroy you from the inside out" Orion stated.

"He can try, mom, but good will always overcome evil. And even if I must face this until Megatron and I finally meet, I will stand alone as I know I am on the side of Primus" Optimus stated. Hide nodded and Orion nodded slightly, though he was still worried.

"Son, you must take this seriously. I know Mirage would want you to do so" Hide reminded Optimus.

"Yes, sir, father" Optimus stated, as he was reminded of all that was at stake – not just the loss of freedom and the Autobots, but his mate and family. "I must go talk with Mirage."

"Go, son, and tell him the truth, now that you know it" Hide stated and Optimus soon left. Orion didn't like this, but he had had a feeling long ago when he sparked these two that this was what it was going to come to. One would end up destroying the other. "trust in your Prime" Hide comforted his mate.

"I do trust him, and I do trust in Primus, it is just that both are my sons. I hate seeing either destroyed, but I know one must die" Orion stated. Hide just held his mate close.

Meanwhile, Optimus had found Mirage. "Mirage, I must speak with you on a matter of great importance" Optimus stated to his mate in that manner as both were outside their quarters in a public area.

"Yes, sir. Shall we go to your office, sir?" Mirage asked.

"Please, follow me" Optimus stated, Mirage following. Mirage had an idea that something was really wrong as Optimus rarely approached Mirage like that.

They soon were in the office. "May I ask what is bothering you so, sir?"

"Please sit down, for what I tell you may shock you" Optimus replied. Mirage sat. Optimus told his mate of what he had just learned and the implications that it had on the family, the Autobots, and the Civil war going on. Needless to say, Mirage was glad he had been told to sit down, as this was a lot to take in. "I… I hope you don't hate me for this"

"I never could" Mirage stated, speaking honestly. "I will help you."

Optimus smiled, relieved that his mate now knew the truth and that his mate would help him through this. And as they were hugging, Mirage sensed something coming. Mirage, knowing what Orion had down, chained Optimus up to the berth in the office. Optimus once again seemed to go through rages and other such vile things, but once again, they went away. Optimus was exhausted from the effort of fighting it off. "I am still here, my love" Mirage uttered softly to his mate once the episode was over.

Optimus held his mate close. "Mark my words, next time Megatron and I meet, one shall stand and one shall fall" Optimus stated. Mirage nodded and snuggled closer to his mate, reminding Optimus of all that was at stake come the final battle.

Meanwhile, in the Con base, Megatron was furious. HE had sent so much evil intent over the link but nothing had happened to Optimus or the Autobots. "Curse that foul Prime and his band of goody-two-shoes. Come our next battle, he will die!" Megatron went back to planning, now including the twin link as a way he could finally destroy Optimus in the final battle, never realizing that it could potentially backfire.


	99. Chapter 99

The dreaded day had finally arrived. Everyone seemed to know it. Primus knew that this would be the final battle, at least for this period of time. The Autobots and Decepticons had both prepared for this final battle between them, seeming to know that one of them would lose their leader and each hoping that it was the other side that did.

In the Autobot base, sparklings and younglings were placed in secret safe areas to protect them and only the best bots were left to guard them, as all the Autobots knew that these bots were the future. Mirage and Illusion had been selected amongst the several others to guard the sparklings, as their illusionary abilities would provide great camouflage for the young bots should the cons break through. All fighting bots were at peak strength and even Optimus felt strong, despite attacks made on him through the twinlink with Megatron. Optimus had learned how to fend those off, by pulsing back good, warm, loving thoughts which seemed to sicken Megatron.

The sun slowly rose over the battle field, even the world of Cybertron itself seemed to know that this day was going to be different. Any creature other than the Transformers was hidden away, not wishing to be destroyed. On one side of the field, the Autobot grounders stood their ground, the flying Autobots overhead, waiting to be told to attack. On the other side of the field, the Decepticons grounders stood, the seekers and other aerial con bots flying overhead, eagerly waiting to destroy the enemy. In the middle of the troops on both sides, front and center, stood the leaders – Optimus and Megatron.

"This ends now Prime" Megatron shouted over the quiet field, starting the battle.

"It certainly does, Megatron. This day, one shall stand and one shall fall" Optimus replied, knowing his troops were ready.

"Enough talk! Time for battle. Decepticons – ATTACK" came Megatron's war cry.

"You heard him, Autobots. Transform and roll out" Optimus commanded his troops.

Both sides soon clashed. And while the Autobot grounders went straight for the Con grounders, overhead, the battle for the sky reigned. The Aerial bots were bravely fighting, and dodging shots, from the more agile seekers of the cons. Most were aerials bots had already been hit by a null ray shot or two, but they weren't giving up. The cost was too great. The aerial bots fought valiantly against the seekers, quickly killing off two of the three youngest seekers, leaving only Sundimmer of the three.

The ancient seekers that were supposed to be helping the cons didn't really get involved much in the spat, but every now and then would shoot at a bot, Con or Autobot as they didn't care, and end up severely maiming or killing the bot they shot at with one exception. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't touch Starscream. Starscream, pissed off at everything, ended up killing the two older seekers with help from his brothers Skywarp and Thundercracker. Starscream was pleased and decided that now, since those two were taken care of, TC and Warp could distract the rest of the cons and Autobots while Starscream sought to not only take out Optimus Prime, but Megatron also.

In the middle of the battle field, Megatron and Optimus, surrounded by other fighting, were fighting each other, blasting with blasters and using whatever weapons were available to fight each other, whether it was the twin link, the Matrix of leadership, the armor of Unicron, or their own fists and weapons they preferred to carry. The field was soon running purple and blue from energon spilled from those who were dead, dying, or hurt during the battle.

Megatron was trying his hardest to fight his foe. Optimus was doing the same. Both seemed to be an equal match for the other. Then Megatron tried to deceive Optimus.

"Brother, come with me. Together we could be powerful, you and I. We could rule the world and the universe with an iron fist. No one would dare oppose us."

Optimus laughed it off. "Never. We may share data but I am nothing like you. All should be free to live free of tyranny and that is all you ever provide -a tyrannical reign. No, I will never join you and your ilk."

The refusal enraged Megatron and he reached for his energon sword that he had secretly hidden on his body. He had brought it, as he had planned to slaughter the Prime with it if the Prime refused the proposal that Megatron offered. Now, Megatron revealed the deadly weapon with a slice across the Prime's front. Before Optimus knew what had hit him, a giant slice was drawn across the front of his body. Reeling from pain, Optimus dropped to one knee. He still had fight in him, but that blow had cost the Prime dearly, as it was too close to his spark and the Matrix of leadership.

The battle around seemed to come to a stop, as the others wanted to watch the final battle between their leaders. The Autobots were shocked, as their leader was kneeling on the ground while Megatron stood over him. The cons were looking forward to Megatron finally killing off the obnoxious Prime, and so all gathered around to wait.

"You know, Optimus Prime, I have waited for this day for a long time. And now, I get to take down not only the Prime, but the son of the best pleasure bot that ever existed" Megatron, revealing to all that Optimus was not born a Prime, but was born a pleasure bot.

"Do your worst, Megatron, but if you slaughter me, another will rise in my place" Optimus stated, starting to feel stronger now that his troops were around him.

"Pah. You can't even stand up. I shall relish in your destruction" Megatron stated and he slowly lifted up the energon sword. "Good bye forever, Optimus Prime!" And at that, Megatron began to bring the sword down toward the Prime.


	100. Chapter 100

Just then, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Megatron slowly brought the sword down towards the kneeling Prime. The Autobots watched in shock and horror. The Cons were cheering, figuring that they were about to be victorious. Unicron was eagerly watching while Prime wasn't just watching – he was hard at work.

As the sword slowly lowered, Primus called Slugbug to join with Optimus. Slugbug vanished from the sparkling safe room he had been in, worrying all but Mirage, as Mirage sensed something was going on. Mirage had always known something was different about the precious sparkling and so this didn't seem out of character for the little one.

Out on the battle field, Optimus was starting to feel weakened, as he had lost much energon, but he also felt some strength coming from somewhere. Optimus didn't know it, but Primus combined Slugbug with Optimus, which released something never yet seen before. The strength of all the previous Prime's flowed into Optimus' systems, including his ancient predecessor that shared his name. Optimus felt renewed in his strength, but he knew he was not to stand just yet. He had to wait for just the right time.

Megatron's glowing red optics were anticipating victory as the sword drew closer to Optimus' helm. However, just as the sword was about to strike Optimus' helm, Optimus caught it in his own bare hands. The Autobots were stunned. The cons grew silent. Megatron was shocked and angered as he watched the sword be caught and then ripped away from him by a Prime that looked almost new, though the battle scars remained.

"Bad move, Megatron" Optimus stated, feeling the power of not only the ancient Primes flowing through him, but also the power of Primus, thanks to Slugbug's spark which was a portal for Primus. "Now its my turn" Optimus stated, as he felt the power of support from Primus, the ancient Primes, and his teammates.

Megatron was pissed. "Not if I can help it" Megatron stated, lunging at the Prime, trying to destroy the bot once again. But as Megatron lunged, Optimus moved the sword so that it pierced Megatron right through the chest plates, not quite killing the bot instantly. "I still function" Megatron stated, as his systems slowly died off.

"Go Megatron, you will no longer be a threat to our world or peace" Optimus stated, waiting for the bot to go.

All were shocked when it wasn't Primus that showed up for Megatron's evil spark, but Unicron. The presence of evil was over powering, but Unicron couldn't stay long, as Primus was too close and too powerful and drove the ancient evil bot back to the pit where Unicron belonged.

Only once Megatron and Unicron were gone did Primus release Bug from joining with Optimus and thus resetting things inside the Matrix and Optimus. Optimus was still weak, but he was victorious.

"Prime, sir?" asked one of the Autobots who had valiantly fought against the cons.

"Yes, how can I help you?" Optimus asked.

"We…. We want to know the truth" the Autobot said in return.

"What truth is that?" Optimus asked, starting to worry, as now that the battle was over and the rest of the cons had been rounded up, Optimus was worried that what Megatron had said would destroy what his troops thought of him.

"Well, Megatron stated that you were the son of a pleasure bot. IS that the truth?" The Autobot asked, wanting to know.

Optimus sighed, there was no getting out of it now. He would tell the truth and hope that his teammates would still accept him.

"Please, all my Autobots, gather round as I must tell you the truth. It is true that before I was selected by Primus as Prime that I was a pleasure bot, the lowest bot in society. My mother is Orion, who was once known as the best pleasure bot there was. He taught me many things besides just how to pleasure bots, he taught me how to treat bots. My original given name was Orion Pax. My designation was changed when Primus selected me to be a Prime not too long after Sentinel was killed" Optimus stated, hoping the Autobots would not reject him.

"Sir, I am much older than you think. I have lived under many Primes and have watched as those Primes grew more and more arrogant. It is refreshing to see a Prime who cares for all and doesn't let class stop any bot from being what they want to be" the random bot stated. And with that, the rest of the Autobots cheered and rallied around Optimus. They had found out the truth and still accepted him as their leader. He had been so worried that if the truth came out, he would be shunned. Instead, he was welcomed with open arms.

"All right troops, back to base. Transform and roll out!" Optimus called in his most commanding voice. The other Autobots who had fought willingly followed the command and headed back to the base. Optimus followed them a short distance behind. Ironhide went back to the Prime.

"I'm proud of you son" Hide stated.

"Proud of what? I killed my own twin? My troops will accept me regardless? We lost many troops today?" Optimus asked.

"I'm proud that you stood up for those who couldn't fight and that you told the truth to your troops. Unfortunately, in war, sacrifices must be made, but do not let their deaths be in vain. Remember them as ones who gave their lives to buy the peace we now have."

Optimus hadn't thought of it that way. "Thank Primus for all his help. I would have been dead if not for him." Ironhide smiled as they continued back to the base.

Upon arriving at the base, all the Autobots, those who fought and those that stayed behind, had gathered, waiting for the Prime to arrive. Optimus was surprised to see the gathering, but a slight nudge from Ironhide was all that was needed to get Optimus up and speak.

"My fellow Autobots, today we finally have peace. Megatron and his evil forces have been defeated. And though we have lost many lives during this Civil war, let us not let their deaths be in vain. Let us remember that their deaths made it possible to have the peace we now have. And now, we shall rebuild Cybertron and make it a society where all bots are welcome. As your Prime, I may be the selected leader, but there will no longer be a class system. All will be allowed to work to their full potential and choose their own paths" Optimus stated, and received many cheers. Mirage smiled in the background. Optimus truly had come into his Prime role well. And soon, Cybertron was on its way to being the grand place it once had been.


End file.
